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 July 17, 2008 | Walker County Courthouse Texas County Courthouse Project #15: Walker County (Huntsville, Texas) Walker county was proudly named for Robert J. Walker of Mississippi who introduced the resolution for the annexation of Texas to the U.S. Congress. Almost twenty years later, however, when it turned out that he was a Unionist during the Civil War, they changed their mind and conveniently “re-named” the county in honor of Samuel H. Walker. This Walker lead an exciting life as a Texas Ranger and distinguished veteran of the Mexican War and, most importantly, was not a Unionist. He even had a Colt revolver named after him. He was a member of the ill-fated Mier Expedition where he was captured in Mexico, but luckily drew a white bean in the infamous Black Bean Episode, where drawing a black one meant execution. He wasn’t as lucky in 1847, however, when he was shot in the back by a Mexican guerilla while escorting a supply train to Mexico City. In 1836 the county seat of Walker County, Huntsville, was founded by Pleasant and Ephraim Gray and named for Ephraim’s hometown of Huntsville, Alabama. The Texas State Penitentiary was established in Huntsville in 1847 and is still the site of Texas’ “Death Row”. Austin College also opened in 1847 and after the school moved to Sherman, the first teacher college in the state, Sam Houston Normal Institute, took over the buildings. The school is now known as Sam Houston State, where in 1994, I spent an eventful Freshman year of college. Huntsville was the home of many well known Texans, none more so than Sam Houston. Today a 67-foot statue of “Big Sam” welcomes travelers on I-45 into town. Houston is buried in Oakwood Cemetery. Walker County’s fifth and current courthouse was built in 1970. The fourth courthouse, which had survived since 1888, was destroyed in a Christmas Eve fire in 1968. This was the first in a one day, 600-mile, 15 county tour of central Texas that I took with my Mom and Dad last week. Although we dropped my Mom off in Hamilton, she still got to see over half of them. It was a blast…and seeing the courthouses was fun too. I could have done better than this photo...this will probably be one of the ones I go back to for a second try someday. 
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