Kerrville History

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Kerrville History

Settler Joshua David Brown arrived in the Hill Country in 1848 after the death of his wife. Here he found new loves - a woman and a career - and planted the seeds that would grow into Kerrville and Kerr County.

Brown learned to make shingles from the huge cypress trees that grow along the Guadalupe River in what is now Kerr County.

He originally set up shop in what is now Kendall County, but became worried about the scarcity of cypress along the river there.

Riding horseback and dodging Indian camps, he found a better location along the Guadalupe. He returned to his camp and found 10 men who were interested in establishing a shingle-making camp.

He married Sarah Jane Goss, a minister's daughter, and returned to Kerr County with his group of shingle makers.

Constant Indian raids forced the colony to pull up stakes and return to the original camp. They eventually were able to return to the Guadalupe River camp. The shingle camp became "Kerrsville" and Brown donated four acres of his settled land to Kerr County for a public square.

Brown left the trade that started a town and hung up his shingle in the real estate business. He lived in a log cabin, located in a grove of trees where Water Street is today. His home was built from materials salvaged from the shingle camp.

Brown eventually purchased 2,000 acres of land where the veterans hospital now stands. Within a few years, the method of hand-hewing shingles was discarded and sawmills were built along the river.

"Kerrsville" became Kerrville and settlers poured in, bringing a unique mixture of culture and business.

Brown named Kerr County after a close friend of his, Maj. James Kerr, who never visited the county and town which bear his name.

Kerr's grandfather was a native of Ireland and his father was the first Protestant minister west of the Mississippi River.

Kerr was the first American settler on the Guadalupe River, although he decided the land was untenable due to hostile Native Americans.

Kerrville was established in 1856 and was granted an authorized post office in 1858. The population of Kerrville had grown to 1,843 by 1910 and 12,000 by 1954. Kerr County now has a population of more than 40,000.

When Kerr County was organized on Jan. 26, 1856, then-governor Elisha M. Pease signed a legislative act creating a new county out of the Bexar Land District. The rise of the mercantile and freight-ing industries in Kerr County began in 1856.

The Charles Schreiner family built up the retail and wholesale industry, banking and ranching. In 1889, the town of Kerrville was incorporated, with Joseph Tivy serving as its first mayor.