Hamilton County

The man behind the county name spent years trying to borrow money for Texas and was never repaid. James Hamilton, a Charleston lawyer and former South Carolina governor, became loan commissioner for President Lamar. He borrowed $457,380 from the Bank of the United States, then chased larger loans across Europe. When Sam Houston took over and repealed the loan laws, his services ended with the debt unpaid. He moved to Texas in 1855. In 1857 his ship was rammed in the Gulf, and he drowned after giving up his chance of safety to a woman and her child.

What the plaque says

Hamilton County Created February 2, 1842 from Montgomery and Houston counties; recreated January 22, 1858, organized August 2, 1858. Named in honor of General James Hamilton, 1786-1857. Lawyer and Governor of South Carolina; appointed diplomatic agent to Europe by President Lamar. Hamilton, the county seat.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Hamilton County Courthouse — 1.2 mi
  A limestone courthouse of 1886-87 on the Hamilton square, built after the county's 1878 courthouse burned, enlarged in the early 1930s and rededicated in 2012 after restoration.
• Meridian State Park — 27 mi
  A 505-acre park in Bosque County where World War I veterans of a Civilian Conservation Corps company dammed Bee Creek in 1933-34 for a 72-acre lake and cut stone buildings around it.

More markers nearby

• Frederick B. Gentry — 0.7 mi
• Ann Whitney — 0.8 mi
• John J. ("Jack") Durham — 0.8 mi
• Elise Waerenskjold — 1.0 mi