Eastland, TX

Eastland is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,960 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Eastland County. During the 1920s, Eastland, like nearby Cisco, Ranger, and Desdemona, were petroleum boomtowns. Eastland is known for the legend of “Old Rip”, a horned toad that lived many years sealed in the cornerstone of the previous Eastland courthouse built in 1897. In 1928, the current courthouse was erected, the prior cornerstone was opened, and “Old Rip” was found alive. The animal, a kind of lizard, received national publicity. It died in 1929 of pneumonia and was placed in a glass-front casket on view in the present courthouse.