Limestone County, Texas

From Vero - Wikipedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Limestone County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,146.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Groesbeck.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was created in 1846.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Native Americans

Natives friendly to the settlers resided in East Texas<ref>Template:Cite web R E. Moore and Texarch Associates</ref> before the Kiowa, Apache and Comanche intruded upon their territory.<ref>Template:Cite web Texas Beyond History</ref> These tribes hunted, farmed the land, and were adept traders. The Tawakoni<ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association</ref> branch of Wichita Indians originated north of Texas, but migrated south into east Texas. From 1843 onward, the Tawakoni were part of treaties made by both the Republic of Texas and the United States. Tawakoni were also sometimes known as Tehuacana. The Limestone County town of Tehuacana<ref>Template:Cite web Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.</ref><ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association</ref> was settled on the former site of a Tehuacana village. The Waco people<ref>Template:Cite web R E. Moore and Texarch Associates</ref> were also a branch of the Wichita Indians.

Settlers

Limestone County was part of the Haden Harrison Edwards (800 families) and Robertson's Colony (800 families) empresario grants<ref>Template:Cite web Wallace L. McKeehan,</ref> made by the Coahuila y Texas legislature in 1825. By contracting how many families each grantee could settle, the government sought to have some control over colonization.

Baptist spiritual leader Daniel Parker<ref>Template:Cite web Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.</ref> and eight other men organized the Pilgrim Predestinarian Regular Baptist Church in Lamotte, Illinois. The fellowship in its entirety migrated in 1833 to the new frontier of Texas. Among this group of settlers were Silas M. Parker, Moses Herrin, Elisha Anglin, Luther T. M. Plummer, David Faulkenberry, Joshua Hadley, and Samuel Frost. Fort Parker, near the Navasota River in what is now central Limestone County, was the earliest actual settlement in the vicinity. Following on the heels of the original settlers, other communities were established.

Fort Parker massacre

Arguably the most infamous Indian depredation in Texas took place in Limestone County on May 19, 1836, when an odd alliance of Comanche, Kiowa, Caddo, and Wichita approached Fort Parker surreptitiously under a flag of peace. The Indians subsequently attacked the fort, killing or kidnapping all but about 18 settlers who escaped to Fort Houston.<ref>Template:Cite web Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.</ref><ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical 

Association</ref>  Captured<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in the Fort Parker massacre were Elizabeth Kellogg,<ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association</ref> Rachel Plummer<ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association</ref> and her son James Pratt Plummer,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> John Richard Parker<ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association</ref>   and his sister Cynthia Ann Parker, who later became mother of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker.<ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association</ref>

County established

On April 11, 1846, Limestone County was formed from Robertson County. On August 18, 1846, the county was organized. Springfield became the county seat. The county seat was moved to Groesbeck in 1873 after boundary changes, and the Springfield courthouse had burned down.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Homesteaders became self-sustaining farmers and ranchers, who also hunted wild game. Support businesses were connected to the repair and maintenance of farm equipment and livestock. The population of 1860 was 4,537. Of these, 3,464 were White, 1,072 were slaves, and one was a free Black female.<ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association</ref>

Civil War and Reconstruction

Limestone County voted 525–9 in favor of secession from the Union, and sent its men to fight for the Confederate States of America. Lochlin Johnson Farrar<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> raised the first Confederate company from the county. Reconstruction in the county was so contentious, with racial violence and threats against the government, that on October 9, 1871, Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis<ref>Template:Cite web State of Texas</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTexas Association of Counties</ref> declared the county under martial law.

Post-Civil War development

The Houston and Texas Central Railway<ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association</ref> laid tracks in 1869, terminating near Kosse<ref>Template:Cite web Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.</ref> which was named after the railway's chief engineer Theodore Kosse. The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> laid track in 1903 from Cleburne to Mexia. Several towns were established on these routes.

The Thornton Institute was founded in 1877 by Edward Coke Chambers, and was chartered in 1881 as the Thornton Male and Female Institute. The school provided a type of dormitory for the students, and sent many graduates out to teach in rural Texas. Henry P. Davis acquired the school in 1889,<ref>Template:Handbook of Texas Texas State Historical Association</ref> and in 1891 the school was given to the Thornton<ref>Template:Cite web Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.</ref> Independent School District.

Oil and gas were discovered<ref>Template:Cite web Texas State Historical Association</ref> in Mexia<ref>Template:Cite web Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC.</ref> between 1913 and 1920, creating jobs and a population boom - from just 3,482 people to 35,000 in 1922. Martial law had to be briefly declared in Mexia. The population began to decline during the Great Depression. Camp Mexia, a German prisoner of war camp<ref>Template:Cite web Guðmundur Helgason</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link Texas Health and Human Services</ref> was built during World War II.

The Work Projects Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps helped ease the county economy during the Great Depression. The Civilian Conservation Corps built Fort Parker State Recreation Area.<ref>Template:Cite web Texas Health and Human Services</ref> The WPA erected a number of buildings in the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert (3.0%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Template:US Census population

Limestone County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref> Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> % 2000 % 2010 Template:Partial
White alone (NH) 14,711 14,433 12,530 66.71% 61.72% 56.58%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4,186 4,041 3,636 18.98% 17.28% 16.42%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 71 68 72 0.32% 0.29% 0.33%
Asian alone (NH) 19 84 160 0.09% 0.36% 0.72%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 2 1 18 0.01% 0.00% 0.08%
Other Race alone (NH) 8 22 60 0.04% 0.00% 0.27%
Mixed Race or Multiracial (NH) 195 270 657 0.88% 1.15% 2.97%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2,859 4,465 5,013 12.97% 19.09% 22.64%
Total 22,051 23,384 22,146 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, 22,051 people, 7,906 households, and 5,652 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 9,725 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 70.75% White 19.07% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 8.11% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. About 12.97% of the population was Latino of any race.

Of the 7,906 households, 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were not families. About 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population was distributed as 25.40% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,366, and for a family was $36,924. Males had a median income of $28,069 versus $18,893 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,352. About 14.40% of families and 17.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.90% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Notable people

  • Sheppard Mullins (19th-century), African American state legislator
  • Alfonso Steele (1817–1911) was born in 1817 in Hardin County, Kentucky, and is buried in Mexia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • Anna Nicole Smith (1967–2007) lived briefly in Mexia.
  • Don the Beachcomber (1907–1989) was born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt in Limestone County.
  • Bob Wills (1905-1975) was born on a farm in Kosse, in the southern portion of Limestone County.<ref>San Antonio Rose: The Life And Music Of Bob Wills. Charles R. Townsend. 1976. University of Illinois. p. 1. Template:ISBN.</ref>
  • Rachel Plummer (1819-1839) captured by Comanches at the age of seventeen, wrote of her twenty-one month ordeal before her death.

Government and politics

Government

Limestone County, like all counties in Texas, is governed by a commissioners' court. This court consists of the county judge (the chairperson of the court), who is elected county-wide, and four commissioners who are elected by the voters in each of four precincts.

The Commissioners' Court is the policy-making body for the county; in addition, the county judge is the senior executive and administrative position in the county. The Commissioners' Court sets the county tax rate, adopts the budget, appoints boards and commissions, approves grants and personnel actions, and oversees the administration of county government. Each commissioner supervises a Road and Bridge District. The Commissioners' Court approves the budget and sets the tax rate for the hospital district, which is charged with the responsibility for providing acute medical care for citizens who otherwise would not receive adequate medical services.

Limestone County is represented in the United States Congress as part of Texas's 17th congressional district, represented by Republican Pete Sessions of Waco. Its two senators are Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, both Republicans. At the state level, Limestone County is represented in the Texas State Legislature as part of Texas's 13th House of Representatives district, represented by Republican Angelia Orr of Itasca, and Texas Senate, District 5, represented by Republican Charles Schwertner of Georgetown.

County Commissioners

Office<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Name Party
  County Judge Richard Duncan Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 1 Jody Goodman Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 2 Micah Anderson Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 3 Stephen Friday Republican
  Commissioner, Precinct 4 Bobby Forrest Republican

Justices of the Peace

Office<ref name=":0" /> Name Party
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1 Marcus Ray Hanna Republican
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 Mike Bell Republican
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3 Jeff Melasky Republican
  Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4 Ray Jones Republican

Constables

Office<ref name=":0" /> Name Party
  Constable, Precinct 1 Scott T. Smith Republican
  Constable, Precinct 2 Michael Carter Republican
  Constable, Precinct 3 Thomas Shoemaker Republican
  Constable, Precinct 4 Mark Roark Republican

County Officials

Office<ref name=":0" /> Name Party
  District/County Attorney Jeff Janes Republican
  District Clerk Carol Sue Jenkins Republican
  County Clerk Kerrie Cobb Republican
  Sheriff Murray Agnew Republican
  Tax Assessor-Collector Stacy Hall Republican
  Treasurer Carol Pickett Republican

Courts

County Criminal Court

Office<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Name Party
  Limestone County Court Richard Duncan Republican

District Courts

Office<ref name=":1" /> Name Party
  Texas's 77th Judicial District Roy DeFriend Republican
  Texas's 87th Judicial District Amy Thomas Ward Republican

Politics

Like the majority of Southern counties, Limestone was traditionally dominated by the Democratic Party, consistently voting for it by wide majorities upon statehood. Limestone's Democratic dominance was shown by its Civil War history, in which it voted for secession by 98% and raised multiple companies to fight for the Confederacy. This Democratic dominance continued well into the 20th century, where Limestone County only voted for five Republicans at any level, all during national and statewide landslides. Since the turn of the 21st century, Limestone County has followed the rest of rural Texas in becoming strongly Republican, with Republicans gaining in vote percentage in every single election so far (aside from a less than 1% decrease in 2020). In 2024, Limestone County gave Republicans their highest share of the vote in county history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Limestone County's Republican bent is fairly consistent across the county, with almost every precinct voting heavily for Republicans. The only major Democratic stronghold in the county is in Mexia, whose large percentage of African-Americans and Hispanic Americans has led Western Mexia to be the only Democratic-voting precinct in the county.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2024, Republicans control every local office in the county.

Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot

Education

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

The entire county is in the service area of Navarro College, according to the Texas Education Code.<ref>Texas Education Code, "Sec. 130.189. NAVARRO COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.</ref>

See also

Template:Portal

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Geographic location

Template:Limestone County, Texas Template:Texas counties Template:US state navigation box Template:Authority control Template:Coord

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Limestone_County,_Texas&oldid=60632"