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Texas County
Jack County, Texas
Fort Richardson State Park and north Texas frontier heritage - from Fort Richardson State Park (the park preserves the site of the southernmost fort in a chain of frontier military posts established after the Civil War to protect settlers from Comanche and Kiowa raids - Fort Richardson was the base from which General William Sherman witnessed the Salt Creek Massacre in 1871, a pivotal event that led to the Army's final campaigns against the Southern Plains tribes) to Jack County's cattle ranching landscape (the rolling mesquite and grassland terrain supports significant cattle ranching in a classic north Texas agricultural county along the West Fork of the Trinity River).
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Office: Jack County Office of Emergency Management – Emergency Management Coordinator Frank Hefner | 100 N Main, 4th Floor, Jacksboro, TX 76458 | (940) 567-2259 | [email protected]; also manages the county’s strategic stockpile program in partnership with Faith Community Hospital under the Texas Dept. of State Health Services.
Roads: US-380 and SH-199 cross at Jacksboro, the county seat
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Genuinely unique fact worth noting: Jack County is the ONLY county with that exact name in the entire United States – named for brothers William H. Jack and Patrick C. Jack, both participants in the Texas Revolution.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
No dedicated county building/permitting department was confirmed in this search – for property within Jacksboro, contact City Hall directly; for unincorporated Jack County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: The current 1939-40 Jack County Courthouse, designed by Wichita Falls architects Voelker & Dixon in Modern Classical style, is the fourth courthouse to serve the county and a National Register of Historic Places listing (2012).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
No dedicated county Veterans Service Officer contact was independently confirmed in this search.
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Notes: The Texas Workforce Commission’s regional Veterans Resource & Referral Specialist for Jack County can be reached via the Lubbock office, (806) 765-5038 ext. 2148 (covers Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cottle, Foard, Hardeman, Jack, Montague, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Young counties).
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Gladys Johnson Ritchie Public Library – 626 West College Street, Jacksboro, TX 76458 | (940) 567-2240; holds over 21,800 volumes and circulates over 20,000 items per year.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site, and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway, a 450-acre Texas Parks and Wildlife property, is a genuinely significant historic landmark: the U.S. Army established Fort Richardson in 1867 (completed 1869) as the northernmost of the Texas frontier forts protecting settlers, active until its 1878 abandonment. It’s a National Historic Landmark (1963), with the post hospital separately designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The associated Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway, a 9-mile one-way trail opened on National Trails Day in 1998, connects the fort to Lake Jacksboro (also known as Lost Creek Reservoir). The historic Butterfield Overland Mail route also crossed through Jack County.
Notes: Fort Richardson is a real, nationally significant historic military site – genuinely one of the more important frontier-era landmarks covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jack County Appraisal District – confirm current contact via jackcounty.org; the Jack County Tax Assessor-Collector, 100 N Main, Suite 209, Jacksboro, TX 76458, (940) 567-2352, collects property taxes for all taxing entities within the county.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Within Jacksboro: City of Jacksboro Animal Control Department – 112 West Belknap, Jacksboro, TX 76458 | Report issues via City Hall, (940) 567-6321 | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM onward; provides animal care/control and adoptions for city residents; for vicious or dangerous animals reported after hours, contact the Jack County Sheriff’s Office.
Notes: Confirm whether unincorporated Jack County has separate coverage – contact the Sheriff’s Office for rural-area animal issues if unclear.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
No county-wide landfill or transfer station was confirmed in this search – confirm current household waste disposal options directly with the County Judge’s office or Jacksboro City Hall.
NOTES: Jack County is the second county in this batch (Irion, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Hogg). Fort Richardson is a real, nationally significant historic landmark, and Jack County’s status as the only county with that name in the U.S. is a genuine, checkable fact. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Jack County
Jack County is north-central Texas’s Fort Richardson frontier heritage and Trinity River ranch county – the preserved frontier army post anchors the county’s historical identity while cattle ranching continues across the rolling mesquite terrain between Fort Worth and the Red River ranch country.
Jacksboro (the county seat, population ~4,500) is Jack County’s governmental and commercial hub, a north Texas ranch town whose frontier fort heritage and courthouse square define its community character.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Jack County Appraisal District at 312 N. Church Street, Jacksboro, TX 76458, phone 940-567-6322.
Courts & Legal
Jack County District Court at 100 N. Main Street, Jacksboro, TX 76458, phone 940-567-2271, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 North Main St, Jacksboro, TX 76458
(940) 567-2141
DISTRICT CLERK
100 North Main St, Jacksboro, TX 76458
(940) 567-2141
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Jack County Clerk’s Office, Jacksboro (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Jack County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
County Clerk, Jack County 100 Main Street, Suite 208, Jacksboro, TX 76458 (940) 567-2141 Jack County is in North Texas, seated in Jacksboro.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Texas probate law is governed by the Texas Estates Code. Probate jurisdiction in Texas is split between statutory probate courts (in larger metro counties) and county courts (in smaller counties like Jack, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Jack County, the County Court handles probate matters.
Small Estate Affidavit (Tex. Est. Code § 205.001) – available ONLY when the decedent died WITHOUT a will (intestate), the estate (excluding homestead and exempt property) does not exceed $75,000, and assets exceed debts. At least 30 days must have passed since death. The affidavit must list every asset and debt, establish the family history showing who the heirs are, and be sworn to by the heirs and two disinterested witnesses; a judge then reviews and approves it under § 205.003.
Independent Administration – used when a will exists (or all heirs agree) and the estate has debts; minimal court supervision after the executor is appointed. This is the most common and efficient path in Texas when available.
Muniment of Title – available when a valid will exists, there are no unsecured debts (other than a mortgage), and there’s no other need for a full administration; transfers title without appointing an executor.
Dependent Administration – required for complex, contested, or disputed estates; involves ongoing court supervision and approval of most actions.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files an Application for Probate of Will and Issuance of Letters Testamentary (or Letters of Administration, if intestate) with the Jack County Clerk.
The original will (if one exists), a certified death certificate, and information about heirs and the proposed executor are included with the application.
The court holds a hearing and issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors and gathers, inventories, and appraises the estate’s assets.
The personal representative pays valid debts and expenses.
Remaining assets are distributed to beneficiaries or heirs, and the estate is closed.
What it costs
Filing fees in Texas typically run $250–$400 depending on the county; confirm current Jack County fees directly.
Texas law allows a statutory executor fee of 5% of all sums actually received and paid out in cash, with specific exceptions. The court may also approve reasonable attorney fees paid from the estate.
Small estate affidavits typically cost $600–$1,900 total when factoring in filing and related fees.
Texas does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
100 North Main St, Jacksboro, TX 76458
(940) 567-2141
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 North Main St, Jacksboro, TX 76458
(940) 567-2141
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
100 North Main St, Jacksboro, TX 76458
(940) 567-2141
HHSC Office
100 North Main St, Jacksboro, TX 76458
(940) 567-2141
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
No standalone county health department was confirmed in this search – confirm current public health service arrangements directly with the County Judge’s office. Faith Community Hospital serves as a key local healthcare and disaster-stockpile partner (see Section 6).
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