Coleman, Texas
(Coleman COUNTY)

The Coleman County Courthouse has one of Texas’s more interesting back stories—actually, two of the more interesting back stories. Built in 1952 in a modern style, it replaced a more conventional 1882 structure. Instead of demolishing or repurposing the original, however, the new courthouse simply incorporated the old. Given the substantial difference between the old and the new, it was a pretty nifty feat of engineering. 

Although Texas Ten is often conflicted about modern buildings in traditional locations and trees blocking the view, the Coleman effort is a winning one. The exterior has aged in a way that gives it an effect more integrated with the local topography than many similar structures. The trees are not overpowering and also soften the overall feel. Finally, we adore the longhorn sculpture on the corner of the square as it says so much about the county’s history and tradition. 

The other interesting structure on Courthouse Square is the Old City Library building. The library is historic as one of the first publicly supported libraries in Texas. Its story is equal parts quaint and perseverance. The “Self Culture Club” took charge of the fundraising, and after 34 years of bake sales and raffles, they were able to build the 750-square-foot structure. Eleven years later, however, the money ran out. 

The women of Coleman County, however, are nothing if not resilient. Eventually, local ranch woman Mrs. J.A.B. Miller took the reins and provided free librarian services for 41 years. The building now bears her name. Actual public funding returned, and the area’s needs outgrew the small building. The current library is now in a converted grocery store. The small library on the grounds is a powerful testament to the settlers’ desire for future generations to enjoy a better life than they did. All in all, one of the better Courthouse complexes in the state.

Hunting and fishing draw the most visitors, so let’s start there. O.H. Ivie Reservoir was a long time in the making, with the general idea proposed in 1938 and the dam christened 52 years later. The result is a 19,000-acre lake shared by Coleman, Runnels, and Concho counties. By far the largest of the area’s lakes, it also features “sharelunkers,” or some of the biggest largemouth bass in the state. Lake Coleman is a 2,000-acre spot well known for hybrid bass. Lake Scarborough, Memory Lake, Lake San Tana, and Hoard’s Creek Lake are all much smaller but offer recreational fun and shore fishing at its best. 

Coleman County is a hot spot for hunters. Deer, Turkey, Dove, and Quail are plentiful. Public land permit hunting is available, there is an active lease market, along with lodges and guided hunts. Check out the “Where to Drop a Dime” section for Lodges and Guides.

For those interested in the area’s history or current cultural offerings, the Coleman Heritage, Preservation, Arts Society operates Heritage Hall in Coleman. Lovers of arrowheads will be impressed by their collection. 

Downtown has tremendous charm. Two operations deserve special comment, among other offerings listed in other sections. The Owl Drug Store features a throwback soda fountain and grill that is pure bliss for nostalgia fans and hungry people. Bonneville is a furniture store/vintage finds paradise. Particularly impressive is a mod-mod collection that would be at home in Palm Springs. Get your Rat Pack on at this one-of-a-kind local store, perhaps the most surprising we have found in all of Texas’s 254 counties. 

We begin with an exceptional experience available in Talpa, about 20 miles west of Coleman, close to State Highway 67. The small restaurant at Rancho Loma showcases world-class culinary talent in an intimate, gorgeous setting. Not cheap, but exquisite.

In Coleman, the Owl Drug Store in downtown Coleman bathes its excellent food in memories. Do not leave without a shake or a malt. Rancho Pizzeria competes with any Italian pie in Texas, with bonus points for a great casual wine menu and terrific ambience. The Black Cur Steakhouse raises the bar and is your date night and better-dining option. Similar great food in a simpler setting can be found at Rustic Creek Steakhouse. Smokesmith BBQ operates on limited hours but with unlimited quality. It is worth your time. Coleman BBQ by Bella’s is also getting great buzz.

There is a good list of casual eating options that includes Scotty’s Bistro & Pub (notable for outdoor dining with misters), Cattle Drive Cafe & Bull Bar (excellent cold beer), The Corral (a longtime local favorite for simple but delicious lunches and suppers), and Stockard Mercantile (for a fresh lunch).  If you need something country and quick, try Best Fried Chicken or China Wok, which should be self-explanatory. 

Of course, no town is complete without Tex-Mex. Coleman has three options: Mi Jalisoco Taqueria, Hidalgo Cafe, and El Taquito. 

Outside of Coleman but still in the county, Tinkers in Valera and MA Crossroads Grill in Santa Anna are excellent for comfort food. Also in Santa Anna, Stockard Mercantile offers fresh lunches alongside its coffee. On the O.H. Ivie reserve, try the Elm Store & Cafe for reliable American cafe food.

In Coleman, for traditional shopping, we have already mentioned Bonneville and emphasize it here; it is a unique store that you will enjoy. Speaking of Retro, Grammar’s is an old-fashioned department store that is both a history lesson and good shopping. History in a tangible form can be found at antique stores, Parker’s Goods in Coleman and Southern Charms Treasures in Santa Anna.

Boutique shopping is above average. Jamison Mercantile is a consortium of cool. Blessed Mess Boutique, Bucketheads, and Prickly Pear major in country chic. Heart Strings tends to modern, casual ladies’ wear.  Odd + Company isn’t odd, it is eclectic–in a good way.  Specialty stores offer tiny bits of “just right” shopping. They include Sweetcrows, a “confectionary book store”; Coleman Olive Oil Co., and Ravenworks (for crafts, craft supplies, and craft lessons). The Olive Oil Company, in particular is well-known, so chefs should make it a priority.

Coleman has plenty to browse, but do sleep on nearby Santa Anna. Bridgett’s Gadgets and Southern Charm Treasures have a tremendous assortment of quality vintage. Stockard Mercantile has nice gifts to match its coffee and lunch. Texas Crafts and Gifts, Whiskey Lily, and Texas Frontier Trading Post round out the lineup. 

Outdoor adventures include guides and lodges. In no particular order, look to 

Centennial Lodge

M Bar H Lodge

Santa Anna Sunset Lodge

Red Top Lodge

Liberty Lane Lodge (214) 642-0201

3B Lodge (325) 636-3390

Tally Lodge (210) 867-8595

Circle F Adventures

Executive Outfitters

First Shot Outfitters

Michael Short (325) 636-3238

Ray/Fox Game (325) 762-0864 & (304) 919-3309

Mike Zuniga (325) 895-0083

Coleman County may have the highest per capita number of interesting places to sleep of any county in the state. A bold statement, but we are sticking with it. Let’s start with Rancho Loma, a stunning five-room boutique inn. The Habord Kourt Motor Inn is a spectacularly fun restored Motor Court offered as a short-term rental.  If those are booked, other quality short-term rentals abound. Ms. Charlotte’s Place is an immaculate property offering suites. The Coleman Inn is well-appointed and convenient. The Texas Ranger Motel and RV Park in Santa Anna dives into the area’s rich history.  CBThree has cottages at O.H. Ivie. Those are all in addition to the hunting lodges already described.

Rustic RV Park 

Quail Creek RV Park (325) 382-4694

M BAR H Lodge & R.V. Park 

Coleman City Park

Hords Creek Lake (Corps of Engineers Park)

Lakeside at Hords Creek Lake (Corps of Engineers Park)

Flatrock at Hords Creek Lake (Corps of Engineers Park)

Lake Coleman Park/ Press Morris Park (City of Coleman)

Elm Creek Marina and RV (O.H. Ivie)

Kennedy Park (O.H. Ivie)

Padgitt Park (O.H. Ivie)

Texas Ranger Motel and RV Park (Santa Anna)

Gary James Park (Santa Anna)

Coleman punches above its weight in special events. The big show is a PRCA Rodeo held every June.  September brings dove season and Fiesta de la Paloma (Dove Fest to the unilingual). And believe it or not, Coleman has its own film festival in April.

Coleman Country Club is a simple but rewarding nine-hole track. We do not usually do this, but Jackalopes Golf & Game is a cut above combination practice facility and putt-putt course (including blacklight putt-putt). Tons of fun.

Coleman Country Club

175 Private Road 4001
Coleman, Texas 76834
(325) 625-2922

Jackalopes

111 E. College

Coleman, TX 76834

(325) 214-4148

It may be difficult to execute, but it is easy to describe. Coleman is almost in the state’s center, so look in the middle, a little southeast of Abilene or northeast of Abilene. The numbering for the state highways changes near Coleman, causing a little confusion. State HWY 84 runs west from Brownwood, then veers sharply north through Coleman when it merges with State HWY 283. What was westbound 84 becomes westbound State HWY 67. Highways 206 from the northeast and 153 from the northwest also reach Coleman. I-20 is about an hour to the north, while I-10 is too far to the south to really worry about. All said and done, Coleman is a short 50 minutes of driving north from the state’s geographic center in Brady. Windshield time from other Texas cities can be found here. 

Abilene Regional Airport and San Angelo Regional Airport, each roughly an hour’s drive,  have American Airlines connecting flights through DFW International. The closest airports offering more than American connections are three hours away, so you might as well use DFW International if you plan on the longer drive. Smaller craft will use either Coleman Municipal Airport, Winters Field, Bruce Field in Ballinger,  or Brownwood Regional Airport.

The area now known as Coleman County has been inhabited for close to 12,000 years. While not much is known about the earliest occupiers, it is clear that Lipan Apaches and the Comanche claimed the area as their own from the 1700s until the 1870s. Spanish exploration of the area was inconsistent, although some scholars understand that a Spanish mission once existed near the small town of Leaday. 

The European presence began in earnest when the United States moved Camp Colorado from Mills County to Coleman County in 1857, providing some protection from the Plains Indians. Coleman County was established in 1858 and named after Indian fighter and soldier Robert M. Coleman, one of the original signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The union abandoned the Fort at the onset of the Civil War. For most of the war, the Rangers occupied Camp Colorado. After the war, the government sold the fort to a rancher.

The town that grew around the fort (also Camp Colorado) served as the first county seat, an honor that was transferred to Coleman in 1876. Santa Anna, Coleman County’s “second city, ” appeared in 1879. The name is an odd one for Texas, given that Santa Anna, the Mexican politician/general, is the villain of the Texas origin story.

It turns out that the name had nothing to do with that Santa Anna. Instead, the nearby mountains (or hills, if you have been to Colorado) bore the name of a Comanche chief; the town is named for either the chief or the mountains. 

The years between 1880 and 1930 were successful for the county overall.  Ranching and farming were successful, with 13% of farmland being share-cropped.  In 1917, a drought began, dramatically affecting the cotton crop.  At the same time, however, natural gas was discovered on the JP Morris ranch, and as a result, the oil industry grew.

Coleman’s population peaked at 23,669 in 1930. When the Great Depression began, however, it hit the area hard. Tenant farmers significantly outnumbered farm owners. Oil continued to flow and reached its peak in 1950. Agriculture eventually stabilized in the mid-1940s, and the economy improved.  However, the area’s reliance on machinery grew with the drop in population.  The petroleum industry has fluctuated, peaking in the 1950s and 1960s.

Today’s population is 7,684, with a median household income of $51,034, significantly below the state and national averages. 20.7% of the population has a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the county employment rate is 53.9%. The county’s ethnic demographics are non-diverse, with 79% of the population being non-Hispanic Caucasian, 16% of the population Hispanic/Latino, and the remaining 5% divided between other ethnicities and mixed ethnicity. 

Politically, Coleman County follows the rural Texas pattern of long-time conservative Democrat bleeding into Republican votes intermittently until 2000, and then consistently red. In the 2024 election, almost 89% of votes cast went to President Trump. 

Some notable residents, past and present, are Emma Bannister, the first woman to serve as a Texas sheriff; Bobby Layne, a pro football Hall of Famer (born and partially raised there); Ronnie Dunn of the country supergroup Brooks and Dunn (born there, but constantly moved as a child); musical inventor George Beauchamp, early designer of electrically amplified guitars and founder of the Rickenbacker Guitar Company; and musician, gospel singer, composer, and publisher Robert Sterling Arnold. Coleman also has some colorful characters from the Old West, such as outlaw Ben Kilpatrick, Rodeo Hall of Famer Dan Taylor, and Prohibition Bootlegger Kathryn Kelly.

Primary Sources: 

Texas State Historical Society

Census Bureau

254 Texas Courthouses

Texas Beyond History

Texas Association of Counties

Famous People of Coleman County – Wikipedia

OTHER: SANTA ANNA