Formed January 12, 1875 (169th county)
Somervell County (8,490), Glen Rose (2,444)
The small limestone Late Victorian, Romanesque Revival and General Grant courthouse was built in 1893 on the square at Bernard and Elm streets. United States Highway 67 bypasses the city center to the northwest. The architect was John Cormack. An Annex was added in 1986. Both courthouses for the county since its January 12, 1875 organizing have been in Glen Rose. The county was originally part of Hood and Johnson counties and the 169th county. Somervell County was named for Alexander Somervell who was a Battle of San Jacinto hero and later legislator. Mrs. T. C. Jordan named the county seat for a nearby glen of roses.
Somervell County government consists of a sheriff, a County Judge, and 4 Commissioners. Two District Court Judges serve Somervell and Johnson counties and One County Court Judge serves Somervell County. The county is located in north central Texas southwest of Fort Worth, Texas. The Brazos River crosses the county from north to south. The county center is in Glen Rose 2.3 miles Northeast of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Hood, Johnson, Bosque, and Erath counties.
The area of the county is 192 square miles. It is 253 out of 254 in the state. It ranks 177 out of 254 in population in the state. It has a density of 44.22 persons per square mile making it 76 out of 254 in the state. Somervell County has 28.8% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 67 enters from Johnson County on the east and exits into Erath County on the west. The county is a diamond turned 45-degrees. Since the county is the second smallest in Texas, Glen Rose is near the center in the county. Glen Rose is the county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. It is 28.8% of the county population. This county is in the Granbury Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Glen Rose
