Navarro County

Navarro County, Texas

Navarro County, Texas

The Navarro County Courthouse is located in the town of Corsicana, the county seat. Photograph by Michael Barera.
Navarro County, Texas

Navarro County, Texas

Map of Navarro County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Navarro County is in north central Texas and is bordered by Henderson, Freestone, Limestone, Hill, and Ellis counties. The Trinity River forms its northeast boundary. The center of the county lies forty miles south of Dallas at 32°05' north longitude and 96°30' west latitude. The county covers 1,068 square miles of level and rolling blacklands and has some woodland areas of oak, hickory and pine, but is mainly open and gently rolling prairies. The valley, or bottom, soil is black loam with a mixture of some sand and is very rich. Grasses are tall, primarily buffalo grass and Texas grama, and trees along the streams include oak, elm, pecans, bois d'arc, and mesquite. Between 30 and 40 percent of the land is considered prime farmland. Natural resources include clay, limestone, sand, gravel, oil, and natural gas. Over 200 million barrels of oil have been taken from the county since 1895. County elevation ranges from 293 feet in the southeast corner to 536 feet in the northwest corner. There are many watercourses throughout the county; two of the largest are Chambers Creek and Richland Creek. The temperature ranges from an average low of 36° F in January to an average high of 96° in July and averages 66° year round. Precipitation averages 37.74 inches per year, and the growing season is about 259 days.

During the settlement of Texas the predominant Indian tribes in Navarro County area were the Iones, Kickapoos, and Comanches. One of the first White groups to settle in the area, the families of John Silas , and Ben Parker, built a fort near the site of present Groesbeck (Limestone County) on the Navasota River in 1833. On May 19, 1836, the fort was attacked by Kiowa and Comanche Indians, and the settlers were either killed or taken captive, including Cynthia Ann Parker. The first Mexican land grant in the area that became Navarro County was to Thomas J. Chambers on September 23, 1834. His grant consisted of 35,424 acres fourteen miles east of the site of present Corsicana. Chambers served as surveyor counselor and supreme judge for the Mexican officials and in 1836 received an empresario contract to bring 800 families to Texas. In 1836 George Washington Hill was sent to the area to be an agent to the Kickapoo Indians. He built a trading post south of the site of present Spring Hill. In October 1838 a surveying party of about twenty-four men arrived at the trading post and set their camp one mile west. On the morning of October 4, the surveyors were attacked by the Kickapoos. In what is now called the Battle Creek fight, all but seven of the surveyors were killed. A rescue party was sent back to bury the dead, but only bones were found. One mass grave was dug one mile west of the site of present Dawson.

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Julie G. Miller | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Navarro County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

250 ft – 623 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 1,009.6 mi²
  • Total Area: 1,085.9 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 34.7°F
July mean maximum: 94.1°F

Rainfall, 2019

39.8 inches

Population Count, 2019

50,113

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

23,258

Unemployment, 2019

7.1%

Property Values, 2019

$4,888,104,748 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$37,922 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$667,142,487 USD

Wages, 2019

$185,688,006 USD

Navarro County

Highlighted:
  • Navarro County
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Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town
Town
Town
Town 457 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 223 (2021) Yes
Town 30 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 80 (2009) Yes
Town 878 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 35 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 25 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town 100 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 80 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 25,203 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 15 (2009) Yes
Town 25 (2009) Yes
Town 835 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 16 (2009) Yes
Town 25 (2009) Yes
Town 20 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 192 (2021) Yes
Town 100 (2009) Yes
Town 321 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 636 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 180 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 35 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,505 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 413 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 0 (2021) Yes
Town 235 (2021) Yes
Town 90 (2009) Yes
Lake Yes
Town
Town
Town 418 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 75 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 30 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 101 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 133 (2009) Yes
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 432 (2021) Yes
Town 1,236 (2021) Yes
Town 265 (2021) Yes
Lake Yes
Town 120 (2009) Yes
Town 15 (2009) Yes
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town 40 (2009) Yes
Town 30 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 90 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town 100 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town 60 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 30 (2009) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 26 (2009) Yes
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Town

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