088 Waller County

088 of 254: Waller County Courthouse, Hempstead, Texas. County Population: 53,626

Waller County, Texas

"Grimes County covers 799 square miles at the boundary between the Post Oak Belt and the Coastal Plain. Most of the area, especially the eastern sections, consists of gently rolling to sloping terrain, while the bottomland along the rivers and streams is nearly level to gently sloping. The elevation ranges from 193 feet above sea level in the southeast to 415 feet in the northwest.
"European explorers apparently did not enter the area before the1800s. The area that is now Waller County was originally part of the Municipality of Washington under Mexican rule, then became part of Washington County and then Austin County. The area began to be settled in the early 1820s as part of Stephen F. Austin's original colony.
"... development of the area was accelerated in 1858, when the Houston and Texas Central Railway built into the county. Hempstead, a new town located at the railroad's terminus in the northwestern part of the county, was incorporated in November 1858 and soon became a major trade center for the area ...
"Settlers on the east bank of the Brazos had attempted to obtain legislative
approval to separate from Austin County as early as the 1850s. As a result of political maneuvering during Reconstruction, the state legislature established Waller County in 1873 from parts of Austin and Grimes counties; Hempstead was designated the county's seat of government."
Carole E. Christian and John Leffler, "WALLER COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online
Today, Waller County is a part of the greater Houston metropolitian area.

I visited Waller County and photographed the courthouse on October 2, 2010.