City of Archer City, Texas -- (940) 574-4570 -- 118 S. Sycamore Street
Archer City History
Archer City is located twenty-five miles southwest of Wichita Falls and is the county seat of Archer County.
In 1858, the Texas State Legislature created the county and designated Archer City (Archer) as the county seat. Archer County was named in honor of an early Texas Patriot, Branch Tanner Archer, (1790-1856) who was a leading figure in the Texas Revolution and Republic of Texas.
The first settlers in Archer County were the R.O. Prideaux family in 1874, who came from England, and the W.W. Hutton family, who came from Canada in 1875. The area was open to settlement after the U.S. Army drove the American Indians from North Texas. In 1876, it was reported by the Galveston News that there was to be a new town in Archer County called Archer City, and the town was intended to lie on the projected paths of three railroad lines – the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, and the Red River and Rio Grande Railroad.
In February 1877, Dr. C.B. Hutto, a dentist from South Carolina, purchased 4,422 acres from W.F. Adams at a cost of $2,110. Dr. Hutto donated property for the town square, a 20’ x 20’ wooden building to be used as a courthouse and a jail. He also donated property for the construction of Protestant churches. In 1892, the post office name was changed from Archer to Archer City to conform to the name of the town.
Archer County was politically organized on July 27, 1880, and an ornate stone courthouse was built in 1891. Archer City was incorporated by Special Election on February 25, 1908; and on April 7, 1908, the first City Election was held to elect a City Mayor, City Marshal, and 5 Alderman. Archer City continued to grow as oil wells began producing nearby; and by late 1926, there were more than 400 oil wells within 13 miles of Archer City. By 1930, the town’s population was 1,512; however, the population peaked in 1970 at 2,025. In 2010, the population was estimated at 1,834.
