Houston County, Tennessee

Houston County Education, Geography, and History

Houston County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 8,426. Its county seat is Erin. The county was founded in 1871. It was named for Sam Houston

Etymology - Origin of Houston County Name

Named in honor of Sam Houston (1793-1863), US congressman from and governor of Tennessee, Texas war for independence commander, president of the Texas Republic, US senator from Texas.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

History of Houston County

Created 1871 from Dickson, Humpheys, Montgomery and Stewart counties; named in honor of Sam Houston (1793-1863), US congressman from and governor of Tennessee, Texas war for independence commander, president of the Texas Republic, US senator from Texas.

Houston County was formed in 1871 from Dickson, Humphreys and Montgomery counties (Acts of Tennessee 1870-71, Chapter 46).

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
The Tennessee General Assembly established Houston County on January 21, 1871, and named it in honor of Sam Houston, governor of Tennessee and hero of Texas. The people voted to establish the new county in 1871 because they were too far from their respective courthouses in Dickson, Humphreys, and Stewart Counties to properly conduct business. Even after Houston County formed, however, a kindred social, historical, and economic relationship remained between Houston and these parent counties.

Well's, Guise's, and Yellow Creeks of present Houston County attracted many settlers in the late eighteenth century. After Chickasaw land cessions, many residents were ready to cross the Tennessee ridge to divide and claim lands on White Oak, Cane, and Hurricane Creeks. There they had downhill access to both the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers for shipment of natural and manufactured products such as whiskey, tobacco, cotton, Indian hemp, and timber. Settlers also shipped iron products made at local forges on Well's Creek, Yellow Creek, and Hurricane Creek; an 1806 iron furnace on Well's Creek is the first mentioned in the area. A type of clay suitable for fire brick for furnaces was found on what is now Booster branch of Well's Creek (Byron Forge Creek), and the fire brick no longer had to be imported. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: HOUSTON COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 206.92 square miles (535.92 km²), of which, 200.21 square miles (518.54 km²) of it is land and 6.71 square miles (17.38 km²) of it (3.24%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Stewart County, Tennessee - north
• Montgomery County, Tennessee - northeast
• Dickson County, Tennessee - east
• Humphreys County, Tennessee - south
• Benton County, Tennessee - west

Education

Public high schools

Houston County High School
Houston County Adult High School

Compare More Colleges and Universities

Find more schools to match to your needs.

Start Now