Eastland

Formed January 22, 1858 (128^th county)

Eastland County (18,583), Eastland (3,960)                

Four courthouses have served Eastland County, the latest being built in 1928.  The first courthouse after the county organization was in Merriman (1874) and the remaining three (1875, 1897 & 1928) have been in Eastland.  The current Modern and Art Deco Courthouse is made of tan brick and stone and designed by Lang and Witchell.  It is on the square formed by the intersection of Commerce and Lamar and Main and Texas State Highway 112.  The county originated on January 22, 1858 from parts of Bosque, Coryell, and Travis counties as the 128^th county.  Eastland County and city are named for Captain William Mosby Eastland who died at the Battle of Salado. 

Eastland County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners.  One District Court Judge and One County Court Judge serve Eastland County.  The county is located in north central Texas between Fort Worth, Texas to the east and Abilene, Texas to the west.  The county center is 9 miles Southeast of Eastland.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Stephens, Palo Pinto, Erath, Comanche, Brown, Callahan, and Shackelford counties. 

The area of the county is 932 square miles.  It is 110 out of 254 in the state.  It ranks 126 out of 254 in population in the state.  It has a density of 19.94 persons per square mile making it 131 out of 254 in the state.  Eastland County has 67.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 20 goes east to west from Erath County to Callahan County.  United States Highway 183 crosses from Stephens County in the north into Brown County to the south.  The county is a rectangle with its southeast quarter cut off at a 45-degree angle.  Eastland is slightly north of geographical center.  Eastland is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 21.3% of the county population.