Formed August 21, 1876 (180th county)
Collingsworth County (3,057), Wellington (2,189)
The tan brick Texas Renaissance and Art Deco courthouse sits on the town square between East and West Avenues and 8th and 9th Streets. United States Highway 83 passes eight blocks to the east of the square. It was built in 1931 from the design of Berry & Hatch. There have been two courthouses since the August 21, 1876 county organization, both in Wellington the last one dating 1893. The county was taken from Bexar County as the 180th county. Collingsworth County is named for James Collinsworth, the first chief justice of the Republic of Texas and a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The difference in the spelling of Justice Collinsworth and the county of Collingsworth was a legislative error that was never corrected. Wellington got its name from the Duke of Wellington. One of the early owners of the Rocking Chair Ranch was an Englishman and suggested the town name.
The area of the county is 919 square miles. It is 130 out of 254 in the state. It ranks 229 out of 254 in population in the state. It has a density of 3.33 persons per square mile making it 219 out of 254 in the state. Collingsworth County has 75.2% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 83 goes from Wheeler County in the north into Childress County to the south.
Collingsworth County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners. One District Court Judge serves Collingsworth, Carson, Childress, Donley, and Hall counties and One County Court Judge serves Collingsworth County. The county is a square with Oklahoma on its east border. Wellington is in the southern half slightly east of center. Wellington is the county seat and the largest city. It is 71.6% of the county population. Collingsworth County is east of Amarillo, Texas against the Oklahoma border. The county center is 20.1 miles Northwest of Wellington nearer Samnorwood. The county is surrounded clockwise by Wheeler County and Oklahoma and Childress, Hall, Donley, and Gray counties.
Dodson
Wellington
