Rocksprings

Rocksprings, the county seat of Edwards County, is on Hackberry Creek at the junction of U.S. Highway 377 and State Highway 55, 100 miles west of San Antonio in the central part of the county. The site was selected in 1891 by J. R. Sweeten because of the natural springs bubbling forth from the rocks. In 1891 the town acquired a post office and was made county seat. In 1892 Rocksprings had a population of 250, a blacksmith, a hotel, a doctor, two saloons, a real estate agent, a general store, two lawyers, and a druggist. The name of the town was originally written as two words, but it was changed after the first courthouse burned in 1897. The town drew attention from across the state and Mexico after the lynching of Antonio Rodr?guez , who was accused of murder, on November 3, 1910. By 1914 Rocksprings had a population of 500 and a bank. As the county seat, the town grew as the county population grew, reaching 998 in 1931, 1,433 in 1952, 1,248 in 1980, and 1,339 in 1990. It declined somewhat in the 1990s, and in 2000 the town had 1,285 inhabitants and fifty-eight businesses. The economy of Rocksprings is centered on the wool and mohair industry