COUNTY ORGANIZED: 1880

COUNTY NAMED FOR: Hiram G. Runnels, an ex-governor of Mississippi and a Texas state legislator.

COUNTY SEATS: Two - Runnels City and Ballinger

COUNTY SEAT NAMED FOR: William Pitt Ballinger, a Galveston attorney and stockholder of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad.

COURTHOUSES: Two - Runnels City 1880; Ballinger 1889

STANDING:  One - 1889 Second Empire courthouse built of stone. The towers and Mansard roof were removed in a 1941 remodeling project.