Spring Creek County

In early Texas, most citizen interactions with government took place at the county seat, so smaller counties were more convenient for the residents. Prior to 1841, each county had at least one congressman, but since the Republic of Texas constitution limited Congress to 40 members, Spring Creek and 15 other new counties became "judicial" counties providing all court and government services.

Congressional districts, however, remained unchanged, so some congressmen now represented multiple counties. On January 21, 1841, at the request of 130 male residents of Harris and Montgomery counties, Congress created Spring Creek County, extending from the head of Spring Creek near Waller to its mouth near Humble, and from Lake Creek in the north to just south of Cypress Top.

The county seat was to be a new town named Greenville, 1/4 mile south of Spring Creek, near today's Rose Hill. George W. Cropper, Isaac Decker, William Pierpont, Abram Roberts and Archibald Smith were named county commissioners, and James Cooper was appointed chief justice (county judge). On May 8, 1841, the following were elected: district clerk William B. Reeves, county clerk Thomas M. Hogan, sheriff Alexander F. Barron, coroner Jason Whitney, surveyor Eugene Pillot, and justices of the peace Nathaniel H. Carrol, Samuel Davis, James Dickson, Henry T. Mostyn, Claude N. Pillot, and John Simmons.

Since each county did not have its own congressman, the Republic of Texas Supreme Court declared the judicial counties unconstitutional on February 4, 1842, and their lands reverted to their parent counties. Many former judicial counties were recreated after statehood; Spring Creek County is the only one whose territory remains almost entirely within its parent counties.

(2014)