Grayson County was established in 1810 from land taken from Hardin and Ohio counties and is named after William Grayson who was a Revolutionary War colonel and U.S. Senator from Virginia. Three courthouses have been destroyed through fire; in 1864 by Confederate troops, and again in 1896 and 1936 destroying the majority of the county records. With the last census bureau report stating that the county had 511 square miles and has 26,321 residents calling Grayson County home.