Giddings, Texas
Encyclopedia
Giddings is the county seat of Lee County, Texas, United States
situated on the intersection of U.S. Highways 77 and 290, 55 miles (88.5 km) east of Austin
. Its population was 5,105 at the 2000 census. The city's motto is "Giddings Texas: Experience Hometown Hospitality".
in 1821 for a colony in Spanish Texas
, and later became part of the Robertson Colony.
The city itself was founded in 1871 when the Houston and Texas Central Railway came to the area. It probably took its name from local magnate Jabez Deming Giddings, who was instrumental in bringing the railway to the area. He had come to the area from Pennsylvania
in 1838 to claim the land bounty of his brother Giles A. Giddings, killed at the Battle of San Jacinto
. Another theory is that the city was named after Jabez's brother Dewitt Clinton Giddings
.
Early settlers in the new town were mostly pioneers from the surrounding communities, such as Old Evergreen and Shady Grove. The majority of these people were ethnic Anglo-Saxons, but a sizeable majority were Wendish
families from the Serbin
area. They would later establish the German-language newspaper Deutsches Volksblatt
.
A syndicate headed by William Marsh Rice
owned the whole townsite and sold property to settlers. Later Rice Institute (now Rice University
) in Houston
had control and sold the lots.
Wide streets were a distinguishing characteristic of the town; the two main thoroughfares (Main and Austin Streets) were 100 feet (30 m) wide, and other streets were eighty feet (24 m) wide. The town's first church, established in 1871, was Methodist. J. D. Giddings Masonic Lodge, chartered in Evergreen in 1865, moved to Giddings, and early churches and a public school met in its building. Soon after the Civil War, freed slaves from farms and plantations settled in Giddings. Classes for more than fifty black students were held in a church in 1883, and the first black public school was built in 1887.
Giddings became the county seat when Lee County was established in 1874. Early businesses included the Granger store, a blacksmith shop and saloon, a millinery shop, a saddle and harness shop, and an oil mill. Brick buildings came in 1875. The courthouse built in 1878 burned and was replaced in 1899. Fletcher House, built in 1879 by August W. Schubert, was sold to the Missouri Synod of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in 1894 to house Concordia Lutheran College. By 1890 the town was part of a rich cotton-growing area with access to the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway, several gins, an opera house, newspapers, and a population estimated at 1,000. The First National Bank was opened in 1890 and was still in operation more than a century later. The town was incorporated in 1913 and had a population of 2,000 by 1914.
In the early 1980s the oil-laden Austin chalk that underlies the town was tapped, and the area experienced an oil boom. Some 300 oil-related businesses located in the town, and many oil rigs were operating in outlying areas. In the late 1980s, however, the oil activities decreased almost to a standstill. The population of Giddings in 1988 was 5,178. In 1990 local businesses included a hospital, a medical clinic, a dialysis clinic, a chiropractic clinic, two nursing homes, a library, motels, restaurants, two newspapers, a peanut mill, Invader Boat Manufacturing Company, and Nutrena-Cargill Mills. There were nineteen churches in the city.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²), of which, 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.58%) is water.
of 2000, there were 5,105 people, 1,639 households, and 1,125 families residing in the city. The population density
was 991.9 people per square mile (382.7/km²). There were 1,852 housing units at an average density of 359.9 per square mile (138.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.99% White, 13.26% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 16.47% from other races
, and 3.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.73% of the population.
There were 1,639 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples
living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.3% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 108.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,046, and the median income for a family was $37,115. Males had a median income of $27,370 versus $21,706 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,768. About 13.8% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
A walking tour of the historic downtown area should be completed by summer 2006, using pavers embedded in new sidewalks. These pavers will show the locations and histories of key buildings and places of the early 1900s town.
, is located in Giddings. The Texas Youth Commission
operates the Giddings State School
in unincorporated
Lee County, near Giddings.
The United States Postal Service
operates the Giddings Post Office in Giddings.
heritage in Giddings is celebrated annually in nearby Serbin
Texas, put on by the Texas Wendish Heritage Society it occurs on the fourth Sunday every September.
The Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt
, a trilingual German-English-Wendish/Sorbian newspaper, was published in Giddings.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
situated on the intersection of U.S. Highways 77 and 290, 55 miles (88.5 km) east of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Its population was 5,105 at the 2000 census. The city's motto is "Giddings Texas: Experience Hometown Hospitality".
History
The land where the city of Giddings now stands was part of the land granted to Stephen F. AustinStephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
in 1821 for a colony in Spanish Texas
Spanish Texas
Spanish Texas was one of the interior provinces of New Spain from 1690 until 1821. Although Spain claimed ownership of the territory, which comprised part of modern-day Texas, including the land north of the Medina and Nueces Rivers, the Spanish did not attempt to colonize the area until after...
, and later became part of the Robertson Colony.
The city itself was founded in 1871 when the Houston and Texas Central Railway came to the area. It probably took its name from local magnate Jabez Deming Giddings, who was instrumental in bringing the railway to the area. He had come to the area from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1838 to claim the land bounty of his brother Giles A. Giddings, killed at the Battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
. Another theory is that the city was named after Jabez's brother Dewitt Clinton Giddings
Dewitt Clinton Giddings
Dewitt Clinton Giddings served three non-consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives as a representative from Texas.-Early life:...
.
Early settlers in the new town were mostly pioneers from the surrounding communities, such as Old Evergreen and Shady Grove. The majority of these people were ethnic Anglo-Saxons, but a sizeable majority were Wendish
Wends
Wends is a historic name for West Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It does not refer to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it is used...
families from the Serbin
Serbin, Texas
Serbin is an unincorporated community in southwestern Lee County, Texas, United States. Located about east of Austin, it was originally established as Low Pin Oak Settlement by Wendish immigrants to Texas in the mid-1850s...
area. They would later establish the German-language newspaper Deutsches Volksblatt
Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt
The Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt was a trilingual German-American newspaper published in Giddings, Texas. Most of the content was in German, while many stories were in English and some short supplements were in Wendish . In early years of publication, the newspaper included a Sorbian supplement...
.
A syndicate headed by William Marsh Rice
William Marsh Rice
William Marsh Rice was an American businessman who bequeathed his fortune to found Rice University in Houston, Texas.-Biography:...
owned the whole townsite and sold property to settlers. Later Rice Institute (now Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
) in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
had control and sold the lots.
Wide streets were a distinguishing characteristic of the town; the two main thoroughfares (Main and Austin Streets) were 100 feet (30 m) wide, and other streets were eighty feet (24 m) wide. The town's first church, established in 1871, was Methodist. J. D. Giddings Masonic Lodge, chartered in Evergreen in 1865, moved to Giddings, and early churches and a public school met in its building. Soon after the Civil War, freed slaves from farms and plantations settled in Giddings. Classes for more than fifty black students were held in a church in 1883, and the first black public school was built in 1887.
In the early 1980s the oil-laden Austin chalk that underlies the town was tapped, and the area experienced an oil boom. Some 300 oil-related businesses located in the town, and many oil rigs were operating in outlying areas. In the late 1980s, however, the oil activities decreased almost to a standstill. The population of Giddings in 1988 was 5,178. In 1990 local businesses included a hospital, a medical clinic, a dialysis clinic, a chiropractic clinic, two nursing homes, a library, motels, restaurants, two newspapers, a peanut mill, Invader Boat Manufacturing Company, and Nutrena-Cargill Mills. There were nineteen churches in the city.
Geography
Giddings is located at 30°10′59"N 96°56′5"W (30.183116, -96.934614).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 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²), of which, 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.58%) 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 5,105 people, 1,639 households, and 1,125 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 991.9 people per square mile (382.7/km²). There were 1,852 housing units at an average density of 359.9 per square mile (138.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.99% White, 13.26% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 16.47% 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 3.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.73% of the population.
There were 1,639 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% 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, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.3% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 108.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,046, and the median income for a family was $37,115. Males had a median income of $27,370 versus $21,706 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 $14,768. About 13.8% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
Current Developments
The City of Giddings and the Giddings Economic Development are currently working together to develop the Central Business District Development Area. A visitor's center will be established, along with a museum of agriculture and history. The freight depot nearby will house a display celebrating the city's links with the railroad. The city hopes to complete this by 2009.A walking tour of the historic downtown area should be completed by summer 2006, using pavers embedded in new sidewalks. These pavers will show the locations and histories of key buildings and places of the early 1900s town.
Government and infrastructure
The Giddings Seed Laboratory (previously Pieratt's Seed Lab), a project of the Texas Department of AgricultureTexas Department of Agriculture
The Texas Department of Agriculture is a state agency within the state of Texas, which is responsible for matters pertaining to agriculture, rural community affairs, and related matters.TDA was established by the 13th Texas Legislature in 1907...
, is located in Giddings. The Texas Youth Commission
Texas Youth Commission
The Texas Youth Commission is a Texas state agency which operates juvenile corrections facilities in the state. The commission is headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin...
operates the Giddings State School
Giddings State School
Giddings State School is a juvenile correctional facility of the Texas Youth Commission located in unincorporated Lee County, Texas, near Giddings. As of 2004 the state school was Lee County's largest employer.-History:...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Lee County, near Giddings.
The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Giddings Post Office in Giddings.
Local interest
The WendishWends of Texas
The Texas Wends or Wends of Texas are a group of people descended from a congregation of approximately 588 Sorbian/Wendish people under the leadership and pastoral care of John Kilian who emigrated from Lusatia to Texas in 1854. The term also refers to the other emigrations occurring before and...
heritage in Giddings is celebrated annually in nearby Serbin
Serbin, Texas
Serbin is an unincorporated community in southwestern Lee County, Texas, United States. Located about east of Austin, it was originally established as Low Pin Oak Settlement by Wendish immigrants to Texas in the mid-1850s...
Texas, put on by the Texas Wendish Heritage Society it occurs on the fourth Sunday every September.
Media
Local newspapers serving Giddings and Lee County at large are presently the Giddings Times and News and the Lexington Leader.The Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt
Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt
The Giddings Deutsches Volksblatt was a trilingual German-American newspaper published in Giddings, Texas. Most of the content was in German, while many stories were in English and some short supplements were in Wendish . In early years of publication, the newspaper included a Sorbian supplement...
, a trilingual German-English-Wendish/Sorbian newspaper, was published in Giddings.
Notable people
- William P. LongleyWilliam P. LongleyWilliam Preston Longley , also known as Wild Bill Longley, was an American Old West outlaw and gunfighter noted for his ruthless nature, speed with a gun, quick temper, and unpredictable demeanour...
, outlaw - Kurt Mitschke, Texas Cowboy
- Gus Mutscher, former Speaker of the Texas House of RepresentativesSpeaker of the Texas House of RepresentativesThe Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. The Speaker's main duties are to conduct meetings of the House, appoint committees, and enforce the Rules of the House...
- David J. PorterDavid J. PorterDavid Jerome Porter , a Certified Public Accountant, is a member of the Texas Railroad Commission. Formerly in a private CPA practice in Midland in Midland County, Porter has since relocated to Giddings in Lee County, Texas.-Background:...
(born 1956), the RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner in the November 2, 2010, general electionGeneral electionIn a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, is a CPACertified Public AccountantCertified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
in Giddings. He unseated incumbent Victor G. CarrilloVictor G. CarrilloVictor G. Carrillo is the chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, a petroleum, natural gas, and pipeline regulatory body on which he has served since his initial appointment in February 2003 by Governor Rick Perry...
in the March 2 primary electionPrimary electionA primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
and faces the DemocratDemocratic 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...
Jeff Weems on November 2, 2010. - Hilton SmithHilton SmithHilton Lee Smith was an American right-handed pitcher in Negro league baseball. In 2001 he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
, pitcher in Negro-league baseball