Texas A&M Forest Service

About forestry service, 76459, Jermyn, TX, US, Texas

Decatur is the county seat of Wise County, Texas, United States. Its population was 6,538 in 2020. == History == Wise County was established in 1856, and Taylorsville (in honor of Zachary Taylor) was made the county seat. Absalom Bishop, an early settler and member of the Texas Legislature, opposed naming the town after a Whig Party member, and in 1858, arranged to have the name changed to Decatur, in honor of naval hero Stephen Decatur. In 1857, a post office was opened, and the first school was established in 1857. In the early 1860s, a courthouse was erected. === Civil War === Early settlers to northern Texas came from a variety of eastern states, with about half coming from the "Deep South". Most of the rest came from the Upper South, and a number sympathized with the Unionist side at the outset of the Civil War. Cooke County and others voted against secession in this part of the state. Violence against Unionists by Confederate troops and militia was common, especially after the Confederate legislature passed an unpopular conscription law.