- Image by Jasoninthepark via Flickr
The origins of Kerr County can be traced back to pre-historic times. Archaeological studies confirm that as early as 8000 BC, Native Americans started inhabiting this region. Of course, it was not known then as Kerr County!
The region has sheltered people belonging to different races, cultures and civilizations over the course of history. Lesser known tribes from North America, like the Comanche, Kiowa and Lipan-Apache have also walked on this part of the state of Texas. They also hunted in this region.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when Spain was conquering large parts of the South American or Latin American continent, Hernando Cortez and Alonso Álvarez de Pineda conquered this part of Texas and made it a part of the Spanish territory. Briefly thereafter, between 1685 and 1690, France also laid its claim on Texas, but the conquest was only temporary.
In the nineteenth century when Mexico broke away from the shackles of Spain and announced its independence, Kerr County and its adjoining parts in Texas also became free of Spanish rule. In fact, in 1829, Kerr County and Kerrville became part of the Texas territory in which the slur of slavery was completely abolished. Further, in 1836, the Texas Declaration of Independence established the Republic of Texas.
However, in 1861 – a poignant period in the history of the United States – the state of Texas voted to secede from the Union of States. Kerr County played a major role with the population voting 76:57 in favor of secession. Nevertheless, in 1870 the state of Texas was readmitted into the Union of States.
The twentieth century witnessed several significant events in Kerr County, especially Kerrville. In 1923, Kerrville got Schreiner University, and in 1930 it came to be known as the world’s Mohair Capital. In 1951, the Kerrville State Hospital was inaugurated. Kerr Country contains so much history based on the coming and going of historical movers, such as indian tribes and famous explorers. The sheer existence of Kerr County represents a town’s stand of independence before and after its revolution.