Graham, Texas
| Graham, Texas | |
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| City | |
Graham downtown square as seen from Twin Mountains
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 Location of Graham, Texas |
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| Coordinates: 33°6′3″N 98°34′45″W / 33.10083°N 98.57917°WCoordinates: 33°6′3″N 98°34′45″W / 33.10083°N 98.57917°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Young |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.6 sq mi (14.5 km2) |
| • Land | 5.6 sq mi (14.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,047 ft (319 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 8,903 |
| • Density | 1,600/sq mi (610/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 76450 |
| Area code(s) | 940 |
| FIPS code | 48-30392 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1336783 |
| Website | City of Graham, Texas Official Website |
Graham is a city in north central Texas. It is the county seat of Young County, and as of the 2010 Census had a population of 8,903.
The site was first settled in 1871 by brothers Gustavus A. and Edwin S. Graham, primary shareholders in the Texas Emigration and Land Company of Louisville, Kentucky. The brothers moved to Texas after the Civil War, and after buying 125,000 acres (510 km2) in then-vast Young County, helped to revitalize the area, the population of which had become badly depleted during the war. During that same year as when Graham was settled, the Warren Wagon Train Raid occurred about 12 miles north of the city. In 1872 the Graham brothers purchased a local saltworks and established the town of Graham and set up the Graham Land Office. The saltworks was not a profitable venture as the salt was too expensive to ship and was closed in a few years.
New families started to arrive, and the brothers began promoting the sale of homesites and doing civic improvements. A post office opened in 1873, and after Young County reorganized the following year, Graham became the county seat. The town's newspaper, known as the Leader and still in existence today, was first printed in 1876, the same year that the first temporary courthouse was built. Other businesses from these early years included a gristmill, sawmill, cotton gin, a brick kiln, two hotels, and several stores.
On February 15, 1877 the city was the site of the organizational meeting of the group that became the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, created to police ranching and put a stop to cattle rustling. Founding officers included pioneer ranchers James C. Loving (son of Oliver Loving), Col. C. L. (Kit) Carter, and C.C. Slaughter. A three-story limestone courthouse was built in 1884, and it was replaced by a new courthouse in the early 1930s. The 1884 structure's east door still stands on the courthouse square. From 1879-1896, Graham was the seat of a Federal District Court overseen by Judge A.P. McCormick; his jurisdiction extended over all of Texas north and west to New Mexico.
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