Not to be confused with Baylor University in McClennan County, or Baylor Medical Center in Houston, Baylor County is in Northwest Texas, and is the location of Seymour, Texas, the county seat. There are several famous Baylor's in Texas history, but Baylor County was named for H.W. Baylor, a surgeon who served with the Texas Rangers during the U.S. - Mexican War.
The area was still a major hunting ground for Comanches and other plains nations as late as the 1860s.
As with most counties in this region of Texas, European settlement did not begin until after the defeat of the Comanches in the Red River War in 1874. There were some attempts at settlement prior to the Civil War, but the area was generally abandoned to the Comanche until the early 1870s. The County was formally organized in 1879.
In its early days Baylor County was open range, and a rough place. Range wars took place between cattlemen and would be farmers trying to settle there. During this period two county attorneys were forced to resign and the county judge was shot to death by a salon-keeper. The first community founded in Baylor County was Round Timber.
Today its economy is based on oil and gas production, cattle ranching and crop production including sorghum, cotton and hay. Estimated market value of production is around $57 million.
As of the 2020 Census, Baylor County is home to 3,425 folks, a small drop from the 2010 census of 3,726.
Source: Handbook of Texas and Texas Almanac
Comments