Freer, Texas
Encyclopedia
Freer is a city in Duval County, Texas
, United States
. The population was 3,241 at the 2000 census. The city and county are heavily Hispanic
in ethnicity and Democratic
in voting history
. From the 1930s-1960s, the county was dominated by the political boss
, called a patron in South Texas
, George Parr, a supporter of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
. Parr's influence waned thereafter, and he committed suicide
at his Los Harcones ranch in 1975.
Like Sweetwater
, the seat of Nolan County in West Texas
, Freer holds an annual rattlesnake
roundup in March.
The first oil
well in Texas was drilled in Freer in 1860, a year after the discovery in Titusville, Pennsylvania
, but it was unproductive. In 1907, oil was again discovered in Duval County, six years after Spindletop
near Beaumont
.
in Johnston County
in southern Oklahoma
, whose contributions have been honored with an historical marker. On May 18, 1984, Freer held "Hap Holcomb Day". He was described as "a symbol of the heart and strength of the people of the town he loved --Freer."
Holcomb relocated to Freer in 1938 to work in the oil business. He started Hap's Well Service in 1950. He was active in Little League
, Youth Rodeo
, Rotary International
, Lions Club, and the Quarterback Club. He was a member of the First Baptist
Church of Freer. He received the "Buckaroo Spirit" award. Holcomb was survived by his wife, Frankie, and four children.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), of which, 4 square miles (10.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.98%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,241 people, 1,111 households, and 845 families residing in the city. The population density
was 804.3 people per square mile (310.5/km²). There were 1,334 housing units at an average density of 331.1 per square mile (127.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.59% White, 0.46% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 14.87% from other races
, and 3.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 77.38% of the population.
There were 1,111 households out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples
living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.40.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,078, and the median income for a family was $26,475. Males had a median income of $26,789 versus $17,159 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $11,457. About 18.4% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 25.4% of those age 65 or over.
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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,241 at the 2000 census. The city and county are heavily Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
in ethnicity and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in voting history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. From the 1930s-1960s, the county was dominated by the political boss
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
, called a patron in South Texas
South Texas
South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of and including San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande River, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 3.7 million. The southern portion of this region is...
, George Parr, a supporter of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
. Parr's influence waned thereafter, and he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
at his Los Harcones ranch in 1975.
Like Sweetwater
Sweetwater, Texas
Sweetwater is the county seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,415 at the 2000 census.-History:Sweetwater received a U.S. post office in 1879. The Texas and Pacific Railway started service in 1881, with the first train arriving on March 12 of that year, beginning...
, the seat of Nolan County in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
, Freer holds an annual rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
roundup in March.
The first oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
well in Texas was drilled in Freer in 1860, a year after the discovery in Titusville, Pennsylvania
Titusville, Pennsylvania
Titusville is a city in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,146 at the 2000 census. In 1859, oil was successfully drilled in Titusville, resulting in the birth of the modern oil industry.-History:...
, but it was unproductive. In 1907, oil was again discovered in Duval County, six years after Spindletop
Spindletop
Spindletop is a salt dome oil field located in the southern portion of Beaumont, Texas in the United States. The Spindletop dome was derived from the Louann Salt evaporite layer of the Jurassic geologic period. On January 10, 1901, a well at Spindletop struck oil . The new oil field soon produced...
near Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
.
Darrell "Hap" Holcomb
Darrell H. "Hap" Holcomb (July 14, 1911—June 14, 1995) was a Freer community leader originally from TishomingoTishomingo, Oklahoma
Tishomingo is the largest city and the county seat of Johnston County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,162 at the 2000 census. It was the first capital of the Chickasaw Nation. Murray State College, a community college, with an annual enrollment of 1,600 students is located in...
in Johnston County
Johnston County, Oklahoma
Johnston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 10,513. Its county seat is Tishomingo.-Geography:...
in southern Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, whose contributions have been honored with an historical marker. On May 18, 1984, Freer held "Hap Holcomb Day". He was described as "a symbol of the heart and strength of the people of the town he loved --Freer."
Holcomb relocated to Freer in 1938 to work in the oil business. He started Hap's Well Service in 1950. He was active in Little League
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
, Youth Rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
, Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, Lions Club, and the Quarterback Club. He was a member of the First Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church of Freer. He received the "Buckaroo Spirit" award. Holcomb was survived by his wife, Frankie, and four children.
Geography
Freer is located at 27°52′45"N 98°36′58"W (27.879156, -98.616237).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 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), of which, 4 square miles (10.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.98%) is water.
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 3,241 people, 1,111 households, and 845 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 804.3 people per square mile (310.5/km²). There were 1,334 housing units at an average density of 331.1 per square mile (127.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.59% White, 0.46% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 14.87% 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 3.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 77.38% of the population.
There were 1,111 households out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% 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, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.40.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,078, and the median income for a family was $26,475. Males had a median income of $26,789 versus $17,159 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 $11,457. About 18.4% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 25.4% of those age 65 or over.