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Good Morning Texas on Tour: Hill County

Posted at 10:23 AM, Sep 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-27 14:19:39-04

HILL COUNTY, TX — Hill County was founded more than 150 years ago in 1852, and it sits just south of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The county may not seem like a bustling place while you drive through it, but there are plenty of cities and family fun in the area. Hill county has several cities including Abbott, Hubbard, Itasca and Hillsboro!

In this GMT on Tour: Hill County, we visited Hillsboro, Itasca and Abbott. You can learn about the different cities, and their history in the videos above.

Here are some things you might not know:

Willie Nelson is from Abbott

The beloved Texas country music star was born and raised in Abbott - a place he calls very special.

"Everybody there was friends or family or worked together or went to school together," he told Texas Monthly. "There was something real positive about that."

He was a telephone operator with his sister while he was in Abbott, and he said he would listen to all the conversations going on in the town.

Hillsboro is spelled two ways

Until 1854, Hillsboro as we know it was spelled "Hillsbourough". The "ough" was dropped, and honestly, we think it's better because of it.

It's known for Victorian homes

The city is known for its abundance of restored Victorian homes and its historic county courthouse. On Jan. 1, 1993, the courthouse was heavily damaged by an electrical fire. It was rebuilt, courtesy of donations from around the world and two concerts sponsored by Hill County native Willie Nelson.