Martin

Formed August 21, 1876 (207^th county)

Martin County (5,239), Stanton (2,659)                

The Modern concrete building was constructed in 1975 on the square at Broadway and St. Joseph Streets.  Interstate Highway 20 bypasses the city to the north.  The courthouse is located three blocks north of the business route through the city.  Riherd & Huckabee are the architects.  Stanton has been the home for all three courthouses to serve since the August 21, 1876 county founding, the previous one was built in 1901.  Martin County was cut from Bexar County as the 207^th county.  Wylie Martin, member of Austin’s Colony and Texas patriot, gave Martin County its name.  Stanton is named for the Secretary of War under Abraham Lincoln Edwin M. Stanton.  Stanton was originally named Mariensfield. 

Martin County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge serves Martin, Glasscock, and Howard counties and One County Court Judge serves Martin County.  The county is straight north of Midland, Texas in the Texas panhandle.  The county center is 15.2 miles Northwest of Stanton nearer Lenorah.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Dawson, Borden, Howard, Glasscock, Midland, Andrews, and Gaines counties. 

The area of the county is 915 square miles.  It is 118 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 200 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 5.7 persons per square mile making it 193 out of 254 in the state.  Martin County has 53.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 20 cuts the southeast corner from Howard County, east, to Midland County, south.  United States Highway 87 tips the northeast corner from Dawson County (north) to Howard County.  This square shaped county has Stanton in the far southeast corner.  Stanton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 50.8% of the county population.