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Texas County
Tyler County, Texas
Woodville's Heritage Village and the Big Thicket transition - from the Heritage Village Museum in Woodville (one of East Texas's finest living history museums - the collection of authentic 19th-century East Texas buildings relocated to a forested Woodville site provides an extraordinarily complete picture of pioneer life in the Piney Woods) to Tyler County's position in the Big Thicket biological transition zone (the county's forests include both the longleaf pine savannas of the uplands and the cypress-tupelo swamps of the Neches River bottomlands, creating an exceptional ecological diversity).
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Roads: US-190 and US-69 meet at Woodville, the county seat, about 56 miles north of Beaumont and 90 miles northeast of Houston
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Tyler County, created in 1846, is named for President John Tyler. NAMING TRAP: despite the name, Tyler County does NOT contain the city of Tyler, Texas – that city is about 140 miles north in Smith County. Woodville was established when Dr. Josiah Wheat donated 200 acres for the town site, named for Governor George T. Wood, who helped establish the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Woodville Building/Permits – confirm current contact via woodville-tx.gov; for unincorporated Tyler County, contact the County Judge’s office to confirm current requirements.
Notes: Tyler County holds a genuine and distinctive claim: the Allan Shivers Library and Museum, 302 N. Charlton St, Woodville – a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark established in 1966 – preserves the personal and political history of Allan Shivers, the 37th Governor of Texas (1948-1957) and earlier Lieutenant Governor. Though born in Lufkin, Shivers’s family owned a home near Woodville and his widowed great-grandmother settled in the county in the 1850s; the museum houses his Zambia safari trophy collection, over 50 original political cartoons from the late 1950s/early 1960s, and his private rare book collection. The current Tyler County Courthouse was designed by T.S. Hodges, financed by a $30,000 bond issue, replacing an 1856 two-story frame courthouse that served the county for more than three decades.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Tyler County Veterans Service Office – Tyler County Courthouse, 100 West Bluff St (also listed 200 Veterans Way), Woodville, TX 75979 | (409) 283-3751
State VSO: Texas Veterans Commission – tvc.texas.gov
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Allan Shivers Library and Museum – 302 N. Charlton, Woodville, TX 75979 (see Building & Permits above); serves as Woodville’s public library alongside its museum function, with regular summer reading programs.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Tyler County genuinely contains two full units and portions of two more of the twelve units making up Big Thicket National Preserve (established by Congress in 1974) – real, exceptionally biodiverse East Texas timberland described as one of the most biodiverse regions in the world outside the tropics, and a major draw for hikers and nature enthusiasts. The Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation, a significant local employer, operates real cultural tourism attractions and a tribal gaming facility. Heritage Village, owned and operated by the nonprofit Tyler County Heritage Society, is a real collection of more than 30 preserved and restored buildings recreating 1800s pioneer life, alongside the Pickett House Restaurant, Whitmeyer Genealogy Library, Clyde Gray House Museum, Big Woods Nature Trail, and Cauble House. B.A. Steinhagen Lake offers additional regional recreation.
Notes: Genuine, extensively documented biodiversity and pioneer heritage – one of the richest small-county profiles in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Tyler County Appraisal District – 806 West Bluff Street, PO Drawer 9, Woodville, TX 75979 | Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 AM–4:30 PM (closed for lunch 12-12:30 PM) | tylercad.net
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Woodville Animal Shelter (Tyler County Animal Services) – 1499 North Magnolia Street, Woodville, TX 75979 | Lost pet checks: (409) 283-7387; established 1994/1999 depending on source, an open-intake facility serving Tyler County; owned-animal surrenders require an appointment plus proof of identification and residency.
Supporting nonprofit: Woodville Animal Control Friends – assists with foster/adopter transport for shelter animals.
Notes: A real, functioning shelter with an active volunteer support network.
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 City of Woodville.
NOTES: Tyler County is the sixth county in this batch (Throckmorton, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur). NAMING TRAP: this county does not contain the city of Tyler, TX (that’s in Smith County). The genuine Allan Shivers Library/Museum and Big Thicket National Preserve presence are distinctive, checkable local facts. 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 Tyler County
Tyler County is deep East Texas’s Heritage Village and Big Thicket transition county – Woodville’s living history museum and the county’s ecologically diverse forests define a Piney Woods community at the heart of the Big Thicket region.
Woodville (the county seat, population ~2,500) is home to the Heritage Village – an assemblage of authentic 19th-century East Texas buildings including a dog-trot cabin, a country store, and a working gristmill that provide one of Texas’s finest pioneer heritage experiences.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Tyler County Appraisal District at 806 W. Bluff Street, Suite 1, Woodville, TX 75979, phone 409-283-3736. TX property assessed at 100% market value.
Courts & Legal
Tyler County District Clerk at 100 W. Bluff Street, Woodville, TX 75979, phone 409-283-2141, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 West Bluff St, Woodville, TX 75979
(409) 283-2281
DISTRICT CLERK
100 West Bluff St, Woodville, TX 75979
(409) 283-2281
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Tyler County Clerk’s Office, Woodville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Tyler 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, Tyler County 116 South Charlton Street, Woodville, TX 75979 (409) 283-2281 Tyler County is in the East Texas Piney Woods, seated in Woodville.
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 Tyler, sometimes assisted by district courts). In Tyler 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 Tyler 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 Tyler 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 West Bluff St, Woodville, TX 75979
(409) 283-2172
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
100 West Bluff St, Woodville, TX 75979
(409) 283-2281
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
100 West Bluff St, Woodville, TX 75979
(409) 283-2281
HHSC Office
100 West Bluff St, Woodville, TX 75979
(409) 283-2281
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Facility: Tyler County Hospital – confirm current contact via woodville-tx.gov.
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