Willacy County CourthouseCounty Seat: RaymondvilleCounty Population: 20,645

The Willacy County Courthouse is the county’s one and only temple of justice built in 1922 in a Classical Revival style and remodeled several times in ensuing years.
The county name refers to John G. Willacy, who introduced legislation to organize the county in 1911. The original county boundaries extended from Nueces to Cameron counties, and Sarita served as the county seat. However, Kenedy County was created in 1921 and given most of the Willacy territory, minus a strip along the southern edge. Land from Hidalgo and Cameron counties combined with this strip to become the present Willacy County. Sarita was deemed the capital of Kenedy County, and Raymondville, formerly of Cameron County, became Willacy’s new county seat.
Willacy County sits in the Rio Grande valley of South Texas, some 30 miles north of Mexico. Area history is chronicled in the Raymondville Historical Museum Center located in the heart of the San Juan de Carricitos land grant, the largest grant ever made in South Texas. The grant was issued to Jose Narciso Cavazos in 1790 by the king of Spain and consisted of 600,000 acres, for which Cavazos paid $53.60. The museum houses mostly artifacts and memorabilia from the Nueces Strip comprised of land between the Nueces and the Rio Grande rivers.
Willacy County is home to Port Mansfield, a small commercial fishing and retirement village that has grown in popularity and attracts sport fishermen from across the nation. The port is bordered by thick, untouched brushland and offers a variety of wildlife; in fact, hunters frequent the area in search of deer, javelina, turkey and quail. From a business standpoint, Port Mansfield is the ideal location for companies with barge and distribution activities.
Padre Island, the second-largest island by area in the contiguous United States, after Long Island, is located in Cameron, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces and Willacy counties. Since 1964, the island has been divided by the artificial Port Mansfield Channel, and as a result, the terms “North Padre Island” and “South Padre Island” are often used to refer to the separate portions of the island.
The county also houses La Sal Vieja, a saline lake known historically for its salt deposits. The salt was collected by the indigenous people of the area before the arrival of the Spanish, who also mined the salt.
The county’s annual Wild in Willacy Boot Fest takes place every October and features otherwise inaccessible ranches located east, west and north of the county. Nature lovers enjoy touring these unique ranches and taking in the surrounding wildlife.
The festival displays the legacy of a local boot maker who crafted boots for the likes of President Reagan, President Truman, Prince Philip and several movie stars. The festival also includes a trade show and exposition, interactive children’s program, tours to the local historical museum, music, art exhibits, and much more.
(Texas Almanac 2008-2009)