Limestone County, Texas
Encyclopedia
Limestone County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Texas
. As of 2000, the population was 22,051. Its county seat
is Groesbeck
.
, the county has a total area of 933 square miles (2,416.5 km²), of which 909 square miles (2,354.3 km²) is land and 24 square miles (62.2 km²) (2.60%) is water.
of 2000, there were 22,051 people, 7,906 households, and 5,652 families residing in the county. The population density
was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 9,725 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.75% White
, 19.07% Black
or African American
, 0.45% Native American
, 0.12% Asian
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
, 8.10% from other races
, and 1.49% from two or more races. 12.97% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 7,906 households out of which 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 non-families. 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 spread out with 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 the median income 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.
, Apache
and Comanche
intruded upon their territory. These tribes hunted, farmed the land, and were adept traders. The Tawakoni 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
was settled on the former site of a Tehuacana village. The Waco people were also a branch of the Wichita Indians.
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 managed to escape to Fort Houston. Captured in the Fort Parker massacre
were Elizabeth Kellogg, Rachel Plummer
and her son James Pratt Plummer, John Richard Parker
and his sister Cynthia Ann Parker, who later became mother of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker
.
(800 families) and Robertson's Colony
(800 families) empresario grants made by the Coahuila y Tejas
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
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.
in 1873 after boundary changes, and the Springfield courthouse being burned down.
Homesteaders became self-sustaining farmers and ranchers who supplemented the dinner table with 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.
. Lochlin Johnson Farrar 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 9 Oct 1871, Texas Governor Elisha M. Pease
declared the county under martial law.
which was named after the railway's chief engineer Theodore Kosse. The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway, 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, and in 1891 the school was given to the Thornton
Independent School District.
Oil Gas were discovered in Mexia
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 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. The WPA erected a number of buildings in the county.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Texas
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...
. As of 2000, the population was 22,051. Its 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....
is Groesbeck
Groesbeck, Texas
Groesbeck is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,291 at the 2000 census. The community is named after a railroad employee.- History :...
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census BureauUnited 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 county has a total area of 933 square miles (2,416.5 km²), of which 909 square miles (2,354.3 km²) is land and 24 square miles (62.2 km²) (2.60%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 84
State Highway 7State Highway 7 (Texas)State Highway 7 is an east–west state highway that runs from Interstate 35 south of Waco to U.S. Highway 84 about 3 miles west of the Texas-Louisiana state line...
State Highway 14State Highway 14 (Texas)State Highway 14, or SH 14, runs from I-45 in Richland to SH 6 south of Bremond in east central Texas in the United States.- Route description :State Highway 14 begins at an intersection with SH 6 about 3 miles southwest of Bremond...
State Highway 164
State Highway 171State Highway 171 (Texas)State Highway 171 is a southeast to northwest state route that starts by branching off U.S. Highway 84 in Mexia and ends at an intersection with U.S. Highway 180 in Weatherford . The route was originally designated by 1933 along the portion between Hillsboro and Coolidge...
Adjacent counties
- Navarro County (north)
- Freestone CountyFreestone County, TexasFreestone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 17,867. Its county seat is Fairfield.-Geography:...
(northeast) - Leon County (southeast)
- Robertson County (south)
- Falls CountyFalls County, TexasFalls County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 18,576. In 2003, the population of the county was estimated to be 17,926. It is named for the waterfalls on the Brazos River, which can be found at the Falls On The Brazos Park, a campsite located only a few...
(southwest) - McLennan CountyMcLennan County, TexasMcLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 230,213. Its seat is Waco. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler....
(west) - Hill County (northwest)
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 22,051 people, 7,906 households, and 5,652 families residing in the county. 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 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 9,725 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.75% White
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...
, 19.07% Black
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...
or African American
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...
, 0.45% Native American
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...
, 0.12% Asian
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...
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
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...
, 8.10% 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 1.49% from two or more races. 12.97% of the population were Hispanic
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...
or Latino
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...
of any race.
There were 7,906 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% 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, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 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 spread out with 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 the median income for a family was $36,924. Males had a median income of $28,069 versus $18,893 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 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.
Native Americans
Indians friendly to the settlers resided in east Texas before the KiowaKiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
, Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
and Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
intruded upon their territory. These tribes hunted, farmed the land, and were adept traders. The Tawakoni branch of Wichita Indians
Wichita (tribe)
The Wichita people are indigenous inhabitants of North America, who traditionally spoke the Wichita language, a Caddoan language. They have lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas...
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
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Tawakoni were also sometimes known as Tehuacana. The Limestone County town of Tehuacana
Tehuacana, Texas
Tehuacana is a town in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 307 at the 2000 census. From 1869 until 1902, the town was home to Trinity University.-Geography:Tehuacana is located at ....
was settled on the former site of a Tehuacana village. The Waco people were also a branch of the Wichita Indians.
Fort Parker Massacre
Arguably the most infamous Indian depredation in Texas happened in Limestone County on May 19, 1836 when an odd alliance of Comanche, Kiowa, CaddoCaddo
The Caddo Nation is a confederacy of several Southeastern Native American tribes, who traditionally inhabited much of what is now East Texas, northern Louisiana and portions of southern Arkansas and Oklahoma. Today the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma is a cohesive tribe with its capital at Binger, Oklahoma...
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 managed to escape to Fort Houston. Captured in the Fort Parker massacre
Fort Parker massacre
The Fort Parker massacre was an event in May 1836 in which members of the pioneer Parker family were killed in a raid by Native Americans. In this raid, a 9-year old girl, Cynthia Ann Parker, was captured and spent most of the rest of her life with the Comanche, marrying a Chief, Peta Nocona, and...
were Elizabeth Kellogg, Rachel Plummer
Rachel Plummer
Rachel Parker Plummer was the daughter of James W. Parker and the cousin of Quanah Parker, last free-roaming chief of the Comanches...
and her son James Pratt Plummer, John Richard Parker
John Richard Parker
John Richard Parker was the brother of Cynthia Ann Parker and the uncle of Comanches chief Quanah Parker. An Anglo-Texas man of Scots-Irish descent who suffered being kidnapped from his natural family at the age of five by a Native American raiding party, he returned to the Native American people...
and his sister Cynthia Ann Parker, who later became mother of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker
Quanah Parker
Quanah Parker was a Comanche chief, a leader in the Native American Church, and the last leader of the powerful Quahadi band before they surrendered their battle of the Great Plains and went to a reservation in Indian Territory...
.
Settlers
Limestone County was part of the Haden Harrison EdwardsHaden Harrison Edwards
Haden Edwards was a Texas settler and land speculator. Edwards County, Texas on the Edwards Plateau is named for him. In 1825, Edwards received a land grant from the Mexican government, allowing him to settle families in East Texas...
(800 families) and Robertson's Colony
Robertson's Colony
Robertson's Colony was an empresario colonization effort during the Mexican Texas period. It is named after Sterling C. Robertson, but had previously been known by other names...
(800 families) empresario grants made by the Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas
Coahuila y Tejas was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution.It had two capitals: first Saltillo, and then Monclova...
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
Daniel Parker
Daniel Parker was a leader in the Primitive Baptist Church in the Southern United States. As an elder, Parker led a group who separated from that church and formed the Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian Baptists...
and eight other men organized the Pilgrim Predestinarian Regular Baptist Church
Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian Baptists
Two-Seed-in-the-Spirit Predestinarian Baptists are part of a larger sub-group of Baptists that is commonly referred to as "anti-mission" Baptists. This sub-group includes the Duck River and Kindred Baptists, Old Regular Baptists, some Regular Baptists and some United Baptists...
in Lamotte, Illinois
Lamotte Township, Crawford County, Illinois
Lamotte Township is one of ten townships in Crawford County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,093. Its name changed from Palestine Township sometime before 1921.-Geography:...
. 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.
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 GroesbeckGroesbeck, Texas
Groesbeck is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,291 at the 2000 census. The community is named after a railroad employee.- History :...
in 1873 after boundary changes, and the Springfield courthouse being burned down.
Homesteaders became self-sustaining farmers and ranchers who supplemented the dinner table with 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.
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 AmericaConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. Lochlin Johnson Farrar 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 9 Oct 1871, Texas Governor Elisha M. Pease
Elisha M. Pease
Elisha Marshall Pease was a U.S. politician from the 1830s through the 1870s. He served as the fifth and 13th Governor of Texas .A native of Enfield, Connecticut, Pease moved to Mexican Texas in 1835...
declared the county under martial law.
Post Civil War Development
The Houston and Texas Central Railway laid tracks in 1869, terminating near KosseKosse, Texas
There were 205 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone...
which was named after the railway's chief engineer Theodore Kosse. The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway, 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, and in 1891 the school was given to the Thornton
Thornton, Texas
Thornton is a town in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 525 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Thornton is located at ....
Independent School District.
Oil Gas were discovered in Mexia
Mexia, Texas
Mexia is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,552 at the 2008 census.The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place, no matter how you pronounce it."...
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
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Camp Mexia, a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
prisoner of war camp was built during World War II.
The Work Projects Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
helped ease the county economy during the Great Depression. The Civilian Conservation Corps built Fort Parker State Recreation Area. The WPA erected a number of buildings in the county.
Cities and towns
|
Groesbeck, Texas Groesbeck is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,291 at the 2000 census. The community is named after a railroad employee.- History :... Kosse, Texas There were 205 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone... Mexia, Texas Mexia is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,552 at the 2008 census.The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place, no matter how you pronounce it."... |
Prairie Hill, Limestone County, Texas Prairie Hill is an unincorporated community in western Limestone County, Texas, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 84 northwest of the city of Groesbeck, the county seat of Limestone County. Its elevation is 594 feet... (unincorporated) Tehuacana, Texas Tehuacana is a town in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 307 at the 2000 census. From 1869 until 1902, the town was home to Trinity University.-Geography:Tehuacana is located at .... Thornton, Texas Thornton is a town in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 525 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Thornton is located at .... |
Famous People
- Alfonso SteeleAlfonso SteeleAlfonso Steele was the last remaining survivor of the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution.-Life:...
(1817–1911) born in 1817 in Hardin County, Kentucky, and is buried in MexiaMexia, TexasMexia is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,552 at the 2008 census.The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place, no matter how you pronounce it."...
. - Anna Nicole SmithAnna Nicole SmithIn 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
(1967–2007) born in MexiaMexia, TexasMexia is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,552 at the 2008 census.The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place, no matter how you pronounce it."...
. - Don the BeachcomberDon the BeachcomberDonn Beach , born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, is the founding father of tiki restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The many so-called "Polynesian" restaurants and pubs that enjoyed great popularity are directly descended from what he created...
(1907–1989) born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt in Limestone County.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Limestone County, Texas