Clarksville, Texas
Encyclopedia
Clarksville is a city in Red River County, Texas
, in the United States
. As of the 2000 census
, the city population was 3,883. It is the county seat
of Red River County.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 3,883 people, 1,530 households, and 1,006 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,299.2 people per square mile (501.4/km²). There were 1,787 housing units at an average density of 597.9 per square mile (230.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.39% White, 42.18% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 3.01% from other races
, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.29% of the population.
There were 1,530 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples
living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,655, and the median income for a family was $31,729. Males had a median income of $21,635 versus $16,189 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,487. About 17.6% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.2% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
In November 2010 NPR aired a story about racism in Claksville that discussed the controversial arrest of the high school basketball coach and other family members during Thanksgiving dinner in 2007. In 2007 former Clarksville High School basketball star and coach of the team at the time, Vergil Richardson, was at Thanksgiving dinner with five other family members when police stormed the family home arresting Vergil and five of his family members. Vergil's 25-year-old half brother, Kevin Calloway, was the target as he admittedly had been selling drugs. The controversy began when police decided to charge all six family members arrested with manufacturing, distributing, and possessing narcotics despite Kevin's insistence that he had acted alone, stashing the drugs in the shed in the yard locked with a key only he possessed. The Richardsons hired the high-profile trial attorney Mark Lesher who immediately discovered that the D.A. had participated in the raid and that the warrant for the raid was issued after the raid was conducted. State prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges on all the Richardsons except for Kevin Calloway but judge John Miller refused to do so. Lesher then filed a motion to dismiss judge John Miller, arguing the judge was biased; in a rare moment of cooperation, prosecutors supported the motion. Once a new judge was appointed the judge immediately dismissed the charges.
The Richardsons are pursuing a lawsuit filed suit against the Red River County Sheriff, District Attorney, and Chief of Police in November 2009 and are set to begin proceedings in 2011.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the city population was 3,883. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Red River County.
Geography
Clarksville is located at 33°36′40"N 95°3′9"W (33.611086, -95.052448).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,883 people, 1,530 households, and 1,006 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,299.2 people per square mile (501.4/km²). There were 1,787 housing units at an average density of 597.9 per square mile (230.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.39% White, 42.18% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 3.01% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.29% of the population.
There were 1,530 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,655, and the median income for a family was $31,729. Males had a median income of $21,635 versus $16,189 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $13,487. About 17.6% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.2% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Controversy
Bill Hankins of The Paris Daily News was first to write an article about the arrest of Clarksville High School basketball coach, Vergil Richardson, in December 2007 and continued to follow the story closely for years.In November 2010 NPR aired a story about racism in Claksville that discussed the controversial arrest of the high school basketball coach and other family members during Thanksgiving dinner in 2007. In 2007 former Clarksville High School basketball star and coach of the team at the time, Vergil Richardson, was at Thanksgiving dinner with five other family members when police stormed the family home arresting Vergil and five of his family members. Vergil's 25-year-old half brother, Kevin Calloway, was the target as he admittedly had been selling drugs. The controversy began when police decided to charge all six family members arrested with manufacturing, distributing, and possessing narcotics despite Kevin's insistence that he had acted alone, stashing the drugs in the shed in the yard locked with a key only he possessed. The Richardsons hired the high-profile trial attorney Mark Lesher who immediately discovered that the D.A. had participated in the raid and that the warrant for the raid was issued after the raid was conducted. State prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges on all the Richardsons except for Kevin Calloway but judge John Miller refused to do so. Lesher then filed a motion to dismiss judge John Miller, arguing the judge was biased; in a rare moment of cooperation, prosecutors supported the motion. Once a new judge was appointed the judge immediately dismissed the charges.
The Richardsons are pursuing a lawsuit filed suit against the Red River County Sheriff, District Attorney, and Chief of Police in November 2009 and are set to begin proceedings in 2011.
Notable residents
Clarksville is the birthplace of:- John WilliamsJohn Edward WilliamsJohn Edward Williams was an American author, editor and professor. He was best known for his novels Stoner and Augustus.-Life:...
, author of Stoner and National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
co-winner Augustus. - Euell GibbonsEuell GibbonsEuell Theophilus Gibbons was an outdoorsman and proponent of natural diets during the 1960s.He was born in Clarksville, Texas, on September 14, 1911, and spent much of his youth in the hilly terrain of New Mexico during the dust bowl era. His mother taught him about foods available in the wild...
, author of cookbooks and foraging guides, proponent of natural diets, and television personality popular in the 1960s and 1970s - J. D. TippitJ. D. TippitTippit attended a Veterans Administration vocational training school at Bogata, Texas, from January 1950 until June 1952. He was then hired by the Dallas Police Department as a patrolman on July 28, 1952...
, a Dallas police officer who was shot and killed by Lee Harvey OswaldLee Harvey OswaldLee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
a few hours after Oswald assassinated President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. - Barney CannonBarney CannonFloyd Keith Cannon, known as Barney Cannon , was an American radio personality. He was a DJ on radio station KWKH-AM in Shreveport, Louisiana, who was considered an authority on country music. When asked to name his favorite country singer, Cannon told his listeners that he liked all of the...
, a country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
deejayDeejayA deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
long associated with radio station KWKHKWKHKWKH is a classic country music radio station serving Shreveport, Louisiana. The 50-kilowatt station broadcasts at 1130 kHz. Formerly owned by Clear Channel Communications and Gap Central Broadcasting, it is now owned by Townsquare Media....
in ShreveportShreveport, LouisianaShreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, got his start in Clarksville in 1972. - William HumphreyWilliam Humphrey (writer)William Humphrey was an American novelist who wrote about small-town family life in rural Texas.-Biography:...
, author of National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
nominee "Home from the Hill". The book was made into a movie shot on location in and around Clarksville in the late 1950s.