Walker County

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and here's how I'm gonna tell it to you. Walker County. Carved out of Montgomery County in 1846, and right from the start, this place had a little identity question on its hands.

The county was first named for Robert J. Walker, a United States Senator. But then came the Civil War, and loyalties shift, and so do honorees.

By the time the smoke cleared, the county claimed a new namesake: Samuel H. Walker, Texas Ranger and Mexican War hero. Two Walkers, one county.

Make of that what you will. Now, the county seat, Huntsville, had its own story going long before courthouses and deed records. It was once an Indian trading post, which tells you something about the ground people were standing on when they decided to build a civilization there.

The first courthouse went up in 1848. Which sounds like progress. And it was, until the second courthouse burned.

January, 1888. Just gone. But Walker County does not dawdle when it comes to getting back on its feet.

The present courthouse was built in August of that same year, 1888. Same year. You burn it in January, you replace it by August.

That's a particular kind of determination. Today, Walker County holds much of Sam Houston National Forest inside its borders. Huntsville serves as headquarters for the Texas Department of Corrections, and it's also home to Sam Houston State College, which carries the distinction of being the oldest state-supported college in Texas.

One county, two namesakes, a trading post at its heart, a courthouse that rose from ash in under a year, and an old forest stretching out quiet over all of it. Walker County doesn't make a fuss about what it's carrying. It just carries it.

What the marker says

Created, 1846, from Montgomery County. First named for Robert J. Walker, U.S. Senator; in Civil War, Samuel H. Walker, Texas Ranger and Mexican War hero, was made honoree. Huntsville, county seat, was once an Indian trading post. First courthouse was built, 1848. A second one burned, January, 1888, and the present one was built in August, 1888. Walker County today contains much of Sam Houston National Forest. Headquarters for Texas Department of Corrections and Sam Houston State College, the oldest state-supported college in Texas, are in Huntsville.