Smith County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 233,479. Its county seat is Tyler. Smith County is named for James Smith, a general during the Texas Revolution. Smith County is part of the Tyler metropolitan statistical area and the Tyler–Jacksonville combined statistical area.

History

200px|thumb|right|Smith County veterans display, the Wall of Memories, in Tyler Plaza

200px|thumb|right|[[Confederate States of America memorial in Tyler Plaza]]

200px|thumb|right|[[Korean War Memorial in Tyler Plaza]]

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples occupied this area of present-day Texas. The first known inhabitants of the area now known as Smith County were the Caddo Indians, who were recorded here until 1819. That year, a band of Cherokee, led by their chief, "The Bowl" (also known as Chief Bowles), migrated from Georgia and settled in what are now Smith and Rusk counties. The Treaty of Bowles Village on February 23, 1836, between the Republic of Texas and the Cherokee and 12 affiliated tribes, gave all of Smith and Cherokee counties, as well as parts of western Rusk County, southern Gregg (formed from Rusk County in 1873) and southeastern Van Zandt counties to the tribes.

Native Americans remained on these lands until the Cherokee War in the summer of 1839, as part of European-American conflicts with Native Americans in Texas. The Cherokee were driven out of Smith County. In this period, Cherokee and other Native American nations were forced from the Southeast United States to west of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory during Indian Removal.

After 1845, some Cherokee returned when Benjamin Franklin Thompson, a white man married to a Cherokee, purchased 10,000 acres of land in Rusk County and allowed them to settle. The Mount Tabor Indian Community developed here, some six miles south of present-day Kilgore. The community later grew and incorporated areas near Overton, Arp, and Troup, Texas.

In July 1846, Smith County separated from the Nacogdoches District and was named for James Smith, a general of the Texas Revolution. At this time, Tyler was designated as the county seat.

During the American Civil War, Camp Ford was the largest Confederate prisoner-of-war camp west of the Mississippi River. Here, Sheriff Jim Reed of Collin County and Judge McReynolds, former chief justice of the district, were seized and lynched by "Regulators".

The original site of the camp stockade is now a public historic park owned by Smith County, as such it is exempted from making any County property tax contribution, and is managed by the Smith County Historical Society. The park contains a kiosk, a paved trail, interpretive signage, a cabin reconstruction, and a picnic area. To date, it has never been the site of a paid venue, nor public event. It is located on Highway 271, 0.8 miles north of Loop 323.

20th century to present

Camp Fanin, a World War II US army replacement training facility, was located in the area known as Owentown, northeast of Tyler along US Hwy 271. Many of its original buildings still exist.

The Smith County Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 1959 by individuals and business firms dedicated to discovering, collecting, and preserving data, records, and other items relating to the history of Smith County. More information can be found at the Smith County Historical Society Website.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (3.0%) are covered by water.

The county infrastructure includes some of two-lane county road.

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 20
  • 20px U.S. Highway 69
  • 20px U.S. Highway 80
  • 25px U.S. Highway 271
  • 20px State Highway 31
  • 20px State Highway 57
  • 20px State Highway 64
  • 20px State Highway 110
  • 20px State Highway 135
  • 20px State Highway 155
  • 20px 20px Loop 49
  • 20px Loop 323

Adjacent counties

  • Wood County (north)
  • Upshur County (northeast)
  • Gregg County (east)
  • Rusk County (southeast)
  • Cherokee County (south)
  • Henderson County (southwest)
  • Van Zandt County (northwest)

Communities

Cities

  • Arp
  • Hideaway
  • Lindale
  • New Chapel Hill
  • Noonday
  • Overton (mostly in Rusk County)
  • Troup (small part in Cherokee County)
  • Tyler (county seat)
  • Whitehouse

Towns

  • Bullard (small part in Cherokee County)
  • Winona

Census-designated place

  • Emerald Bay

Unincorporated communities

  • Antioch
  • Bascom
  • Blackjack
  • Bostick
  • Browning
  • Carroll
  • Copeland
  • Dogwood City
  • Elberta
  • Flint
  • Garden Valley
  • Gresham
  • Jamestown
  • Lee Spring
  • Midway
  • Mount Sylvan
  • New Harmony
  • New Hope
  • Omen
  • Owentown
  • Pine Springs
  • Pine Trail Estates
  • Red Springs
  • Salem
  • Sand Flat
  • Shady Grove
  • Sinclair City
  • Starrville
  • Swan
  • Teaselville
  • Thedford
  • Walnut Grove
  • Waters Bluff
  • Wood Springs
  • Wright City

Ghost towns

  • Burning Bush
  • Douglas
  • Utica

Demographics