McMullen County

Long before the county had a name, its land was promised on paper. In 1825 Coahuila granted Benjamin Drake Lovell and John G. Purnell a colonization contract covering present McMullen County north of the Nueces River. Between 1841 and 1845 the Republic of Texas issued 45 land grants here. The first census, in 1870, counted 39 families and 230 people. By 1900 the county had 91 farms and ranches covering 505,000 acres, with 25,000 cattle. Archaeologists find human presence on this ground going back about 11,000 years.

What the plaque says

McMullen County Created 1858. Organized 1862. Abandoned because of bandit activities in thicket area during the Civil War. Reorganized 1877, with Tilden as county seat. Named for John McMullen (1785-1853), founded with James McGloin of the Irish Colony at San Patricio; President Pro Tempore of the General Council which governed Texas in 1836, on the eve of the Republic. Of the 254 Texas counties, 42 bear Indian, French or Spanish names. 10 commemorate such colonizers as McMullen and Stephen F. Austin, "Father of Texas". 12 honor Washington and other American patriots. 96 were named for men who fought in the Texas war for independence (15 dying at the Alamo), signed the Declaration of Independence from Mexico, or served as statesmen in the Republic of Texas. 23 have the names of frontiersmen and pioneers. 11 honor American statesmen who worked for the annexation of Texas; 10, leaders in Texas since statehood, including jurists, ministers, educators, historians, statesmen; and 36, men prominent in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Rockwall and 8 others have geographical names. San Jacinto and Val Verde were named for battles; Live Oak and Orange, for trees; and Mason for a fort. 1964

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Choke Canyon State Park — 12 mi
  A reservoir state park on the Frio River in two units, built after a 1982 dam, with birds, alligators and fishing on land people have crossed for more than 10,000 years.

More markers nearby

• Tilden — steps away
• Boot Hill Cemetery — steps away
• Moses William Hindes — steps away
• Camp Rio Frio, C.S.A. — 0.2 mi