In 1834–1835, Little River became part ofRobertson's Colony, made up of settlers fromNashville, Tennessee, led bySterling C. Robertson; they were the families of Captain Goldsby Childers, Robert Davison, John Fulcher, Moses Griffin, John Needham, Michael Reed and his son William Whitaker Reed, William Taylor, and Judge Orville T. Tyler.[5] This area became known as the Tennessee Valley. Soon after (1836) the settlements were deserted during the Runaway Scrape,[6] reoccupied, deserted again after the Elmwood Creek Blood Scrape, and reoccupied. Texas Ranger George Erath established a fort on Little River.[7]
In 1850, Bell County was organized and named for Texas GovernorPeter Hansborough Bell. The population then was 600 whites and 60 black slaves.[5] Belton[9] was designated as the county seat in 1851.
The last serious Indian raid in the area occurred in 1859.[5] Bell County assumed its present boundaries[5] with the 1860 resurvey of the line between Bell andMilam Counties.
In 1861, the county voted forsecession from the Union.[5] Residents were divided, as manyyeomen farmers did not support the war. From 1862 to 1865, Union sympathizers and Confederate deserters holed up in "Camp Safety".[5] Following the war, new social movements developed. In 1867, the Belton Women's Commonwealth, the first women's movement in Central Texas, was formed byMartha McWhirter. The group providedshelter to women inabusive relationships.[5]
During the early years of theReconstruction era (1865–1877), so much violence occurred in the county that the government stationed federal troops in Belton. Some racist whites attacked blacks and their white supporters. Corruption, lawlessness, and racial divides were severe. As in many areas, a local version of whiteparamilitaryinsurgents developed who were similar to theKu Klux Klan; they worked to suppress black and Republican voting.[5]
The coming of railroads in the late 19th century stimulated growth across the state. In 1881, theGulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, the first railroad to be built in Bell County, establishedTemple as its headquarters.[5] Reflecting growth in the county, in 1884, the Bell County Courthouse was built. It is still used. The ambitiousRenaissance Revival design was by architect Jasper N. Preston and Sons.[10] As another improvement, in 1905, the Belton and Temple Interurban electric railway was completed, providing service between the cities.[5]
During the 1920s, theKu Klux Klan underwent a revival in Bell County. In many areas, it was concentrated on nativist issues, opposing Catholic and Jewish immigration from eastern and southern Europe. After a scandal involving the leader of the KKK, the group's influence declined markedly by the end of the decade.[5]
In 1925,Miriam A. Ferguson, a native of the county, was inaugurated as the first woman governor of the state.[11] She won re-election in 1932 for a nonconsecutive second term.[11]
The county and state supported foundingTemple Junior College in 1926. The entry of theUnited States in World War II stimulated war spending across the country. In 1942,Fort Hood was opened as a military training base. It drew recruits from across the country.[5]
The postwar period was one of suburbanization in many areas. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled inBrown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools, supported by all the taxpayers, was unconstitutional. Two years later, the Killeen school board voted tointegrate the local high school. .[12]
Since the late 20th century, new retail development has taken the form of large malls. In 1976,Temple Mall opened.[13] By 1980,Killeen became the most populous city in Bell County.[12] The following year, theKilleen Mall opened, adding to retail choices in the area.[14] In another type of development, theBell County Expo Center opened in 1987.
Since the late 20th century, the county has been the site of several notableviolent incidents. On October 16, 1991, in theLuby's shooting, George Hennard murdered 23 people and wounded 27 others before killing himself. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States at the time.[15] On June 21st, 1999,Brandon Bernard and four accomplices kidnapped and murdered youth pastors Todd and Stacie Bagley nearKilleen, Texas. The ringleader, Christopher Vialva, shot the couple before Bernard set their car on fire. Their bodies were found inBelton Lake. Vialva was sentenced to death, and Bernard, also sentenced to death, was executed in 2020.[16] In the2009 Fort Hood shooting,Army majorNidal Hasan murdered 13 people and wounded 30 others before being paralyzed in return fire.[17] In the2014 Fort Hood shootings, Army Specialist Ivan Lopez murdered three people and wounded 16 others.[18] On May 3, 2022, a stabbing atBelton High School by a fellow student left 18-year-old Jose Luis "Joe" Ramirez Jr. critically injured. He later died from complications in a local hospital. The suspect, Caysen Tyler Allison, was arrested and charged.[19] On December 21, 2024, John Darrel Schultz, 53, drove a pickup truck through the outside entrance of theJCPenney store at theKilleen Mall during a police chase, striking five people inside before being fatally shot by officers.[20]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,088 square miles (2,820 km2), of which 1,051 square miles (2,720 km2) are land and 37 square miles (96 km2) (3.4%) are covered by water.[21]
Bell County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of thecensus[28] of 2010, 310,235 people, 114,035 households, and 80,449 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 295.2 people per square mile (114.0 people/km2). The 125,470 housing units averaged 88 units per square mile (34/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 61.4% White, 21.5% Black, 0.8% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.8% Pacific Islander, and 5.0% from two or more races. About 21.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race; 14.9% were of Mexican, 3.6% were of Puerto Rican, 0.2% Cuban, and 0.2% were of Dominican descent.
Of the 85,507 households, 40.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 12.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were not families. About 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.14. As of the2010 census, about 3.6same-sex couples per 1,000 households were in the county.[29]
In the county, the population was distributed as 28.90% under the age of 18, 13.40% from 18 to 24, 31.90% from 25 to 44, 17.00% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,872, and for a family was $41,455. Males had a median income of $28,031 versus $22,364 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,219. About 9.70% of families and 12.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.30% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.
Areas in the boundary ofCentral Texas College's service area, as defined by the Texas Education Code, include all of Killeen ISD, Fort Hood and North Fort Hood, and the Bell County portions of Copperas Cove ISD and Lampasas ISD.[31]
Areas in the boundary ofTemple Junior College's service area include Academy ISD, Bartlett ISD, Belton ISD, Holland ISD, Rogers ISD, Salado ISD, Temple ISD, and Troy ISD.[32]
State legislation does not specify the community colleges of the Bruceville-Eddy ISD and Moody ISD areas.
Politically, Bell County tends to supportRepublican Party candidates for office. It has voted for the Republican presidential nominee every cycle beginning withRonald Reagan in 1980. While the county had been trending Democratic, it rebounded in 2024 to give Republicans their strongest performance in 20 years. This is partially attributed to the large military presence, which tends to lean Republican, as well as the growth of Hispanics in the county,[36] a population that shifted heavily towards Republicans in 2024.
The county is a bellwether for Texas, voting for the statewide winner of every presidential election in Texas, except in 1952 and 1956. In 1952 and 1956, RepublicanDwight D. Eisenhower (who was born in Texas) won the state while losing Bell County.
Democratic strength in the county is concentrated in the city of Killeen, which gave Joe Biden 63.4% of the vote in the 2020 election. The remainder of the county, particularly the cities of Belton and Temple, is much more strongly Republican.[37]
^abcdefghijklmConnor, Seymour V; Odintz, Mark."Bell County, Texas".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.Archived from the original on December 21, 2010. RetrievedNovember 30, 2010.
^Covington, Carolyn Callaway."Runaway Scrape".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. RetrievedNovember 30, 2010.
^Cutrer, Thomas W."George Bernard Erath".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedNovember 30, 2010.
^Brackney, William H (2009).Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education. Mercer University Press. p. 147.ISBN978-0-88146-130-5.
^"Bell County Courthouse".Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. RetrievedNovember 30, 2010.
^abHuddleston, John."Miriam Ferguson".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.Archived from the original on December 21, 2010. RetrievedNovember 30, 2010.
^abcLeffler, John."Killeen, Texas".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedNovember 30, 2010.
^"Temple Mall"(PDF).Urban Retail Properties. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on March 17, 2013. RetrievedDecember 31, 2011.
^"Killeen Mall"(PDF). Jones Lang Lasalle. March 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on March 4, 2016. RetrievedMarch 25, 2010.
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