Around 8000 BC, early Native American inhabitants arrived in the area, with numerous successive cultures following in
prehistoric times. Historic tribes encountered by Europeans included the
Kiowa,
Comanche, and
Lipan Apache. In 1842, the
Adelsverein Fisher–Miller Land Grant set aside to settle 600 families and single men of
German,
Dutch,
Swiss,
Danish,
Swedish, and
Norwegian ancestry in Texas.
Henry Francis Fisher sold his interest in the land grant to the Adelsverein in 1844. In 1845,
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels secured the title to of the Veramendi grant, including the Comal Springs and River, for the Adelsverein. Thousands of German immigrants were stranded at port of disembarkation,
Indianola on
Matagorda Bay. With no food or shelter, living in holes dug into the ground, an estimated 50% died from disease or starvation.
Joshua Brown, in 1846, became the first settler. The Texas State Convention of Germans met in San Antonio on May 14–15, 1854, and adopted a political, social, and religious platform, including: 1) Equal pay for equal work, 2) Direct election of the President of the United States, 3) Abolition of capital punishment, 4) “Slavery is an evil, the abolition of which is a requirement of democratic principles..”, 5) Free schools – including universities – supported by the state, without religious influence, and 6) Total separation of church and state. The next year, United States Army post
Camp Verde was established. Kerr County was formed in 1856 from Bexar Land District Number 2. Joshua Brown donated the land that became Kerrville, and had it named for his friend
James Kerr.
Kerrville was named the county seat.
Center Point was established in 1859. In 1860–1861, the county population was 634, including 49 slaves. The
Sons of Hermann lodge, for descendants of German heritage, was established in the county. The lodge is named for German chieftain folk hero
Hermann the Cherusker. The Union League formed companies to protect the frontier against Indians and their families against local Confederate forces.
Conscientious objectors to the military draft were primarily among
Tejanos and Germans. Confederate authorities imposed martial law on Central Texas. The
Nueces massacre occurred in
Kinney County.
Jacob Kuechler served as a guide for 61 conscientious objectors attempting to flee to Mexico.
Scottish-born Confederate irregular James Duff and his
Duff's Partisan Rangers pursued and overtook them at the Nueces River; 34 were killed, some executed after being taken prisoner. Jacob Kuechler survived the battle. The cruelty shocked the people of Gillespie County. About 2,000 took to the hills to escape Duff's reign of terror. Spring Creek Cemetery near
Harper in Gillespie County has a singular grave with the names Sebird Henderson, Hiram Nelson, Gus Tegener, and Frank Scott. The inscription reads, “Hanged and thrown in Spring Creek by Col. James Duff’s Confederate Regiment.” The
Treue der Union Monument ("Loyalty to the Union") in Comfort was dedicated to the Texans slain at the Nueces massacre August 10, 1866. It is the only monument to the Union outside of the National Cemeteries on Confederate territory, and is one of only six such sites allowed to fly the United States flag at half-mast in perpetuity. The Y O Ranch was founded in 1880 by Charles Armand Schreiner, who had opened a
store in the area in 1869. In 1876, Lipan Apaches raided near
Center Point in one of the last raids made by Native Americans in the county. On October 5, 1878, the last Indian raid in the county occurred at the present day community of
Mountain Home, when four children of the Dowdy family were murdered by either Kickapoos or Lipan Apaches. In 1887, the
San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway was built through Kerrville. The
American Legion of Texas established what eventually was called the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kerrville, in 1919. The
Schreiner Institute was established in Kerrville from 1917 to 1923. In 1926, Ora Johnson established Camp Waldemar Christian girls camp in
Hunt.
Mooney Aircraft was established in 1929 in Kerrville. Kerrville was begun to be called the "Mohair Capital of the World" in 1930. Kerrville State Hospital opened in 1951.
2025 Central Texas floods During the 2025
Independence Day weekend, the county was affected by catastrophic
flash flooding after more than 20 inches of rain rapidly fell in and around Kerr County. Numerous
flash flood emergencies were issued in Kerr County along the
Guadalupe River. According to local authorities, at least 107 people in Kerr County died in the flooding, which killed at least 135 people overall (as of July 19). ==Geography==