History, Heritage and Culture

It was about 1875 when settlers began to arrive in any appreciable numbers in what is now Taylor County. In 1878, Taylor County was formed from the Bexar and Travis land districts, with Buffalo Gap, Texas being named the county seat.

With the railroad completed, a town lot auction was held on March 15, 1881, and ABILENE was "born." By the end of the next day, 317 lots were sold for the sum of $51,360. The remaining lots were sold at a private sale.

Historic Dates in the Founding of Abilene, TexasAbilene and Taylor County's NameHistorical Downtown Walking TourTaylor County Historical Commission