In 1806,French army officer José de la Baume, who later joined the Spanish army, was rewarded for his services to Spain with title to 27,000 acres (11,000 ha) of Texas land, the original El Capote Ranch. The grant was reaffirmed by theRepublic of Mexico after it achieved independence.[5]
FollowingMexico's independence from Spain, Anglo-Americans from the United States settled in Texas in 1821, and claimed Mexican citizenship. In 1825, Guadalupe County was part ofGreen DeWitt's petition for a land grant to establish acolony in Texas, which was approved by the Mexican government. From 1827 to 1835, 22 families settled the area as part of DeWitt's colony.[4]
FollowingTexas' gaining independence from Mexico (1836), 33 Gonzales Rangers and Republic veterans established Seguin. Founded as Walnut Springs in 1838, the settlement's name was changed to Seguin the next year to honorJuan Nepomuceno Seguín, who had fought for independence.[6]
In 1840, theVirginian Michael Erskine acquired the El Capote Ranch[7] for use as a cattle ranch. In 1842, theRepublic of Texas organized Guadalupe County as ajudicial county. The Texas Supreme Court declared judicial counties to be unconstitutional. In 1845,Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels secured title to 1,265 acres (512 ha) of the Veramendi grant in the northern part of the former judicial county.[4]
Following theannexation of Texas by the United States (1845),Prussian immigrant August Wilhelm Schumann arrived on the Texas coast aboard the SS Franziska in 1846, and purchased 188 acres (76 ha) in Guadalupe County. Shortly thereafter, the state legislature established the present county from parts ofBexar andGonzales Counties.[4]
In 1846, during the war between the United States and Mexico, a wagon train of German immigrant settlers bought Guadalupe land from August Schumann. The following year, the town ofSchumannsville was established byGerman immigrants and named after him.[4] Numerous German immigrants entered Texas at Galveston following therevolutions of 1848 in German states, settling in Guadalupe County and central Texas. After their own struggles, they tended to oppose slavery.
The last Indian raid into the area was made by theKickapoo in 1855.[4]
By 1860, 1,748slaves of African descent were in the county, generally brought in from the South by slaveholder migrants. In 1861, the people of the county voted 314–22 in favor ofsecession from the Union. Guadalupe County sent several troops to fight for theConfederate States Army. Following the end of the Civil War and theemancipation of the slaves (1865), aFreedmen's Bureau office opened in 1866 in Seguin to supervise work contracts between former slaves and area farmers.[8] Together, German Americans and African Americans joined the Republican Party, leading Guadalupe County to be a reliably Republican one into the 20th century,[9][page needed] even after the statedisfranchisement of African Americans in 1901 by imposition of a poll tax.[10]
By 1876, theGalveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway reached Seguin. It was completed as far as San Antonio the following year.[11] By 1880, ethnic Germans accounted for 40% of the county population.Tenant farming andsharecropping accounted for the operation of 25% of the county's farms. By 1910, immigrants from Mexico accounted for about 11% of the country's population.
In 1929, oil was discovered at the Darst Creek oilfield.[12] By 1930,tenant farming andsharecropping comprised 64% of the county's farms.
Over the next five decades, the economy changed markedly, as the area became more urbanized and less dependent on agriculture. By 1982, professional and related services, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade involved nearly 60% of the workforce in the area.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 715 square miles (1,850 km2), of which 711 square miles (1,840 km2) are land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) (0.5%) are covered by water.[13]
Guadalupe 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[20] of 2000, 89,023 people, 30,900 households, and 23,823 families were residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 125 people/sq mi (48 people/km2). The 33,585 housing units average 47 per square mile (18/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 77.65% White, 5.01% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 12.86% from other races, and 3.07% from two or more races. About 33.21% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.
Of the 30,900 households, 38.30% had children under 18 living with them, 61.60% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.90% were not families. About 18.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.83, and the average family size was 3.23.
In the county, the age distribution was 28.50% under 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males.
The median income for a household was $43,949, and for a family was $49,645. Males had a median income of $32,450 versus $23,811 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,430. About 7.30% of families and 9.80% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 9.50% of those 65 or over.
Guadalupe County is covered by eight career and eight volunteer fire departments. There are multiple law enforcement agencies within the county, each city with the exception of Kingsbury provides their own police force along with the Guadalupe County Sheriffs Office and Constables.
The eight career fire departments respond with their city limits as well as to fires in small portions in the county. Guadalupe County established its first career department in 2020, and became full time in December 2022. Guadalupe County Fire Rescue was established to augment and assist the volunteer departments with responses due to the increasing volume of emergencies.
The eight volunteer departments are based in small towns, or unincorporated areas. These volunteer departments are required to have a first responder organization license through the State of Texas, as well as a certain amount of training hours per year.
Geronimo VFD- Covers the Geronimo Community and surrounding areas.
Marion VFD- Covers the Marion, Santa Clara, and surrounding areas.
Kingsbury VFD- Covers Kingsbury, and surround area.
McQueeney VFD- Covers the McQueeney Community and surrounding area.
Lake Dunlap VFD- Covers a small unincorporated area around Lake Dunlap.
York Creek VFD- Covers, the communities of Zorn, Staples, Redwood, and surrounding areas.
New Berlin VFD- Covers New Berlin, the Zuehl Community, and surrounding areas.
Sand Hills VFD- Covers the unincorporated area of southeastern Guadalupe County.
Guadalupe is a strongly Republican county that possessed strong GOP leanings even during theSolid South era. The only Democratic presidential candidate to carry Guadalupe County since 1940 has been Hill Country nativeLyndon B. Johnson during his 1964 landslide.
AlthoughAl Smith did win the county in 1928 due to anti-Prohibition sentiment,[23] Guadalupe had even leaned Republican beforeWarren G. Harding's 1920 landslide, voting Republican in every election between 1896 and 1924 except the divided 1912 contest.[24]
United States presidential election results for Guadalupe County, Texas[25]
Guadalupe County is run by a commissioners court presided by the county judge. The court has four members elected for two-year terms. The commissioners are elected by and represent individual districts. The county judge is elected through a county-wide at-large election.
^Gesick, John."Seguin, Texas".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 13, 2010.
^Perry, Ann; Smith, Deborah; Simons, Helen; Hoyt, Catheriine A (1996).A Guide to Hispanic Texas. University of Texas Press. p. 204.ISBN978-0-292-77709-5.
^Harper, Cecil Jr."Freedman's Bureau".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 13, 2010.
^Kesselus, Ken (2002).Alvin Wirtz, The Senator, LBJ, and LCRA. Austin: Eakin Press.ISBN1-57168-688-6.
^Longhorn Chapter of the N.H.R.S."Seguin and The Railroad". Texas transportation Museum, San Antonio. Archived fromthe original on May 4, 2009. RetrievedDecember 13, 2010.
^Smith, Julie Cauble."Darst Creek Oilfield".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 13, 2010.
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