February 2021
Creation of Van Zandt County
In 1848, the Texas legislature created Van Zandt county from a part of Henderson County. Jordan’s Saline (now Grand Saline) was established as the county seat. In 1850, Van Zandt county was changed as Wood and Raines counties acquired some of its land. Due to this change, the county seat had to be relocated as Texas law requires a county seat to be within 5 miles of the county’s geographic center unless otherwise voted upon by two-thirds of the voters voting in the county seat election.
A Mistake
A surveyor by the name of Ennoch Tinnin was contracted to determine a suitable location for the new county seat. Van Zandt county commissioners accepted his recommendation and designated the property he surveyed for the new county seat, Canton, TX. A different surveyor was then dispatched to plot the town into blocks and lots. A location for the courthouse was chosen and the first courthouse, a log cabin, was completed and accepted in February of 1851 at which time all county records were moved. On December 8, 1852, a patent to the 320 acres for Canton was issued to the Chief Justice of Van Zandt County by the State of Texas. In 1853, Ennoch Tinnin, the original surveyor, revisited the town and discovered that the surveyor plotting out the town had made an error. It is thought that the poor maps of the time and the lack of proper bearings in a wilderness area were the cause of the mistake. At any rate, Canton, TX was now placed some 2 ½ miles SE of where it was originally supposed to be and was partially on private land.
Fixing the Mistake
The Chief Justice of the county approached the private land owner and explained the situation. The land owner, understanding the conundrum that the county was in, kindly gave the county the 160 acres that Canton encroached on. This solution was acceptable to the citizens of Canton, TX as they had no desire to move. It, however, irrevocably upset some in the county to the point that when the second courthouse, which was brick, was completed in 1857, they protested its construction, and allegedly incorrect location, for several years. The courthouse was ultimately demolished sometime between 1870 and 1872 for safety reasons. The builder of the courthouse was not paid for his work until 1880 due to the controversy and events surrounding the Civil War.
The “Wills Point War”
In 1873, the Texas and Pacific Railway was completed approximately 10 miles north of Canton. Wills Point, TX, NW of Canton, was on the railroad and had become a leading shipping hub for the county. Due to this fact, an election was held in 1877 to relocate the county seat from Canton to Wills Point. The reported vote was 705 to 523 in favor of the move. However, a 2/3 majority of voters is required by Texas law to move the county seat so the proposal failed. Wills Point contested the election and the County Judge, C.W. Raines, threw out several voting boxes due to irregularities, which worked to Wills Point favor, and Wills Point was declared the new county seat. County commissioners court records were subsequently moved to Wills Point. Soon, 500 or so armed men marched to Wills Point to return the records to Canton. Texas Governor Richard Hubbard ordered troops into the county to preserve the peace and restore order. The contested election was sent to the Texas Supreme Court where the election was ruled void and an order to return the records to Canton was given. As a result of this “war”, Canton businessmen decided to establish a shipping point at Edgewood, TX, approximately 10 miles north of Canton. A railroad track connecting Canton, TX to the Edgewood, TX shipping depot was laid along with the creation of a dirt road.
Canton, TX Area Map
Continued Growth
Canton, TX continued to grow over the decades and was finally incorporated in 1919. Its population ebbed and flowed between 400 and 800 for much of that time. Canton expanded its territory in the 1960s effectively doubling both its size and population. By 1970, it had roughly 2000 citizens. 1990 saw that number approach 3000 and now its close to 4000. Canton continues to experience continued economic growth as well and First Monday Trade Days is a major factor in that.
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Sources:
https://www.visitcantontx.com/what-we-do, accessed 2021 Feb 25
https://www.vanzandthistoricalcommission.com/our-towns, accessed 2021 Feb 25
http://www.cantontx.gov/history-canton, accessed 2021 Feb 25
Gerald F. Kozlowski, “Van Zandt County,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed 2021 Feb 25, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/van-zandt-county
Diana J. Kleiner, “Canton, TX,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed 2021 Feb 25, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/canton-tx.
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/LG/htm/LG.73.htm, 2021 Feb 25
