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Rains County, Texas

25 topographic sheets cover 24 settlements here, and 1 property is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

1 National Register listing published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Texas within the United States
Rains County within Texas
Explore by year 1880 1888

What the record shows

  • 343 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 1 property here is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed as a building.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 25 populated places in this county; 24 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

1

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Rains County Courthousebuilding200303000333

Bird's-eye views and land ownership maps

2

Drawn when these were printed as single large sheets: the town seen from the air, and the county divided into its farms with every owner named. Each opens the original at the Library of Congress.

Land ownership map, 1880 - Map of Rains County, Texas
Land ownership map (1880) - Map of Rains County, Texas. Library of Congress.
Land ownership map, 1888 - Rains Co
Land ownership map (1888) - Rains Co. Library of Congress.

The county from the air

36 shown

Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 644 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 36 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1949-10-12, scale 1:70000
1949-10-12, scale 1:70000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1949-10-12, scale 1:70000
1949-10-12, scale 1:70000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1949-10-12, scale 1:70000
1949-10-12, scale 1:70000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1949-10-31, scale 1:70000
1949-10-31, scale 1:70000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1953-01-04, scale 1:69000
1953-01-04, scale 1:69000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1953-01-04, scale 1:69000
1953-01-04, scale 1:69000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-03-08, scale 1:28400
1954-03-08, scale 1:28400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-03-08, scale 1:28400
1954-03-08, scale 1:28400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-03-08, scale 1:28400
1954-03-08, scale 1:28400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1954-03-08, scale 1:28400
1954-03-08, scale 1:28400. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1957-07-16, scale 1:20000
1957-07-16, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1957-07-16, scale 1:20000
1957-07-16, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1957-07-16, scale 1:20000
1957-07-16, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1957-07-16, scale 1:20000
1957-07-16, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1958-03-20, scale 1:20000
1958-03-20, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1958-03-20, scale 1:20000
1958-03-20, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1958-03-20, scale 1:20000
1958-03-20, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1958-03-20, scale 1:20000
1958-03-20, scale 1:20000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-04-15, scale 1:17600
1962-04-15, scale 1:17600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-04-15, scale 1:17600
1962-04-15, scale 1:17600. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-01-15, scale 1:22000
1975-01-15, scale 1:22000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-01-15, scale 1:22000
1975-01-15, scale 1:22000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-01-15, scale 1:22000
1975-01-15, scale 1:22000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1975-01-15, scale 1:22000
1975-01-15, scale 1:22000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-12-04, scale 1:80000
1978-12-04, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-12-04, scale 1:80000
1978-12-04, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-12-04, scale 1:80000
1978-12-04, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1978-12-04, scale 1:80000
1978-12-04, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1980-02-26, scale 1:64461
1980-02-26, scale 1:64461. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1980-02-26, scale 1:64461
1980-02-26, scale 1:64461. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1980-02-26, scale 1:64461
1980-02-26, scale 1:64461. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1980-02-26, scale 1:64461
1980-02-26, scale 1:64461. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1982-11-13, scale 1:64750
1982-11-13, scale 1:64750. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1982-11-13, scale 1:64750
1982-11-13, scale 1:64750. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1982-11-13, scale 1:64750
1982-11-13, scale 1:64750. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1982-11-13, scale 1:64750
1982-11-13, scale 1:64750. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

6 stations, 1 gage

The thermometers that kept this county's weather, and the gages that measured the flow of its streams, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.

The 1950 census, district by district

9 districts

Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.

  • 190-1Justice Precinct 1: Emory town
  • 190-2Justice Precinct 1 - That part north of Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad, and east of Grand Saline - Emory Road, outside Emory town
  • 190-3Justice Precinct 1 - That part south of Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad, and west of Grand Saline - Emory Road, outside Emory town
  • 190-4Justice Precinct 2
  • 190-5Justice Precinct 3
  • 190-6Justice Precinct 4: Justice Precinct 4 - That part east of Lone Oak - Point - Edwards - Edgewood Rd.
  • 190-7Justice Precinct 4 - That part west of Edgewood - Edwards - Point Rd., east of Cedar Creek, and southwest of Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad
  • 190-8Justice Precinct 4 - That part west of Point - Lone Oak Rd., north of Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad, and west of Cedar Creek
  • 190-9Justice Precinct 5

Wildfire, 1996 to 2020

86 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 86 of them, burning about 1,652 acres. 2 started naturally and 1 was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning61
Missing data/not specified/undetermined9
Equipment and vehicle use6
Recreation and ceremony6
Natural2
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Arson/incendiarism1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
29 August 2005Natural450 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceNORTH TX - 9
2 January 2006Equipment and vehicle use175 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceLINDEN - 16
7 July 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined170 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCHIGGER RIDGE RANCH FIRE
15 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined60 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceLINDEN - 599
4 March 1996Recreation and ceremony55 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
19 January 2009Debris and open burning50 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceHWY 779 CR 2520
4 March 2006Debris and open burning50 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
20 July 2006Debris and open burning50 acresTexas A & M Forest ServicePOWELL - 529

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1954 to 2026

60 of 189 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 189 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 2 injuries and about $2,307,600 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind75
Hail74
Flash Flood18
Tornado16
Flood4
Lightning2

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
October 1993Tornado (F2)Emory1 killed, $500,000A tornado developed 1 SE Emory and moved two miles southeast. A man was killed and his mobile home was destroyed. (M57M)
May 2003LightningPoint2 hurtTwo people were injured by a lightning strike.
April 2016HailAlba$500,000Emergency management reported golf-ball to baseball sized hail along FM 779 near the county line.
March 1973Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
April 2026Flash FloodDunbar$100,000Emergency management reported that several county roads were flooded and some sustained culvert damage or failures, including County Roads 1495, 1325, 3425, 2350, and 1150. Additionally, a section of County Road 2300 was flooded due to a small private earthen dam being overtopped due to the locally heavy rain.
November 2022HailPoint$100,000A trained spotter reported baseball sized hail in Point, TX.
April 2016HailEmory$100,000A public report indicated hen-egg sized hail south-southwest of the city of Emory, TX.
April 2016HailFlats$100,000Emergency management reported golf-ball sized hail near the Lake Tawakoni Dam near the county line.
April 2017Tornado (EF2)Dunbar$70,000This tornado was a continuation from Van Zandt County. This tornado began nearly as the last tornado dissipated to the south and west. The parent supercell cycled another tornado about a mile to the east and northeast of the previous storm. This tornado quickly grew to a large tornado, becoming slightly less than one mile wide at its widest point. The tornado was at the strongest near Interstate 20 and FM 17 just north of Canton. The survey crews found continuous damage between Canton and Fruitvale, and then additional damage as far north as Emory, and Lake Fork. Several homes, businesses, and farm buildings were damaged or destroyed in the 40 mile continuous damage path. This tornado occurred for over an hour, and spanned most of Van Zandt, and nearly all of Rains Counties during the 80 minute track.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindEmory$50,000Roof damage occurred at several buildings including an apartment complex and a restaurant. Damage to trees was also reported.
June 1997Thunderstorm WindEmory$50,000Strong winds uprooted several large trees. A home received major damage after a tree was blown down onto it.
October 1993Thunderstorm WindEmory$50,000A barn was destroyed. Two homes and two businesses were also unroofed.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindEmory$40,000Trees and power lines were blown down across the county. Storage buildings were thrown across the road near Alba, and portable buildings were tossed around along Highway 69 in Emory.
November 1996Thunderstorm WindEmory$40,000no account filed
March 2004Thunderstorm WindCountywide$35,000Wind damage across northern part of the county. The worst damage was from Highway 276 at County Road 1320 to near Elm on FM 514. Many trees were blown down, a house was damaged, a large tree was blown down onto a carport, sheds and barns were damagerd, and a chimney was blown off a house.
May 1992Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
March 2022Thunderstorm WindWillow Spgs$20,000Straight-line winds damaged large trees and tree limbs, and caused minor damage to homes along a path near CR 2460 and 2440 to just northwest of Alba.
November 2022Tornado (EF1)Dougherty$20,000A tornado started in northern Rains County crossing FM 514 near Daugherty. In this area, damage to a carport was noted along with damage to large trees. The tornado moved northeast causing notable tree damage to the Clifton Cemetery. The tornado continued northeast into southern Hopkins County where its track was traced by tree damage. Additional information on the tornado track in Hopkins County can found in a separate entry. Video evidence shows this tornado lifted just east of Hopkins County Road 1159 before the next tornado started. Maximum estimated winds were 100 mph.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindEmory$20,000A small metal building was blown over at a fire station about 9 miles southeast of Emory, and trees and power lines were blown down across the southern portion of the county.
April 2026HailEmory$15,000A social media photo showed a 2.75 to 3 inch hailstone in Emory.
May 2009Flash FloodDougherty$15,000One water rescue was performed during the morning hours of the 3rd and several county roads were covered in water. Of note, CR 1325 near Woodbury Creek was underwater and CR 1275 at Brushy Creek was underwater as both creeks overflowed their banks. Woodbury Creek also flooded farms and ranches along its banks.
July 2007Flash FloodEmory$15,000Several county roads were flooded and impassable. A vehicle was swept into a creek.
May 1997Thunderstorm WindEmory$15,000Strong winds damaged a roof, blew down a carport and downed trees.
April 2026HailEmory$12,000Broadcast media partner relayed a photo of approximately tennis ball size hail in Emory.
May 2020Flash FloodEmory$10,000Emergency management reported that several Rains County roads were under water, and that one had to be closed due to a wash-out.
April 2017HailEmory$10,000A report of ping ping pong ball sized hail was reported in Emory.
June 2016FloodPoint$10,000Emergency personnel assisted two families from their homes after they became trapped from flooding. Emergency crews initially had to cross through approximately 300 yards of water that ranged from 9 to 12 inches deep. A fire department tanker was forced to drive through another 1.5 feet of water to reach the trapped residents.
December 2015FloodPoint$10,000Several roads remained flooded across the county after an average of 3-5 inches of heavy rainfall.
May 2009Thunderstorm WindPoint$10,000The Sheriff's Office reported several trees were down across the county. Some trees were blocking roads and at least one tree fell on a house.
April 2026HailPt Sabine Arpt$9,000Amateur radio operator reported 2 inch hail just west of Emory.
April 2026HailPoint$7,000Amateur radio operator reported 1.75 inch hail in Point.
April 2026HailPt Sabine Arpt$7,000Social media photos showed 1.75 inch hailstones south southeast of Point.
April 2026HailEmory$7,000Amateur radio operator reported 1.75 inch hail in Emory.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindPoint$7,000Emergency management reported multiple trees down in the cities of Point and Emory along Highway 69.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindEmory$6,000A few roof wall panels were blown off the Rains High School gymnasium.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindPoint$5,000Emergency management reported a tree blown onto a home in the city of Point, TX.
December 2015Flash FloodPoint$5,000Several FM and county roads were closed across the county due to flooding. Several streets in Emory were also closed.
April 2011Thunderstorm WindDougherty$5,000Numerous trees were knocked down on the west side of Lake Fork, and also on Hwy 19, CR 3150, CR 3325, and CR 4400.
May 1994Thunderstorm WindEmory$5,000Power lines were blown down on FM 515.
November 1994Thunderstorm WindPoint$5,000Trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
January 1994Thunderstorm WindLake Tawakoni$5,000Windows were blown out of a house by high winds.
May 1994Thunderstorm WindEmory$5,000Trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds.
October 1993Thunderstorm WindEmory$5,000Wind damage to trees and roofs was reported in this area.
April 2011LightningEmory$4,000A lightning strike hit a propane tank on Hwy 19 causing a fire.
September 2023Thunderstorm WindEmory$3,000Emory Fire Station reported flagpoles bowing over in thunderstorm winds, small limbs blowing across parking lot, and the bay doors of the fire station bowing in. An mPing report also reported more notable tree damage in Emory.
May 2005Thunderstorm WindEmory$3,000Power lines snapped in half.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindEmory$3,000Trees and power lines were blown down by high winds.
May 1992Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
September 2023Thunderstorm WindEmory$2,000Power lines were knocked down and major tree damage was reported on the NW side of Emory, TX on HWY 69.
April 2010Thunderstorm WindEmory$2,000Several trees were reported down on several county roads near Emory.
May 2009Thunderstorm WindEmory$2,000A large tree was knocked down on CR 4250 northwest of Emory.
May 2007Thunderstorm WindEmory$2,000Tree limbs down south of Emory.
April 1997Thunderstorm WindPoint$2,000Trees and power lines were blown down.
March 1996Thunderstorm WindEmory$2,000no account filed
April 2004Thunderstorm WindEmory$1,000Two trees were blown down onto a county road.
April 1999Thunderstorm WindPoint$1,000A large industrial building was unroofed by high thunderstorm winds.
October 1998Thunderstorm WindEmory$1,000Several trees were blown down from thunderstorm winds.
September 2023Thunderstorm WindPoint$500Trees and tree limbs were down on FM 514 and needed to be cleared off the roadway.
January 1994Thunderstorm WindEmory$500A tree was blown down by thunderstorm winds.
April 1994Thunderstorm WindEmory$500Thunderstorm winds broke tree limbs six inches in diameter.

Mines and quarries

2 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 2 workings inside this county. None of them still produces: all are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Clay2

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
UnknownClayUnknown
UnknownClayPast Producer

Every populated place in the county

25

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.