Anderson County | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 31°49′N95°39′W / 31.81°N 95.65°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Texas |
Founded | March 24, 1846 |
Named for | Kenneth L. Anderson |
Seat | Palestine |
Largest city | Palestine |
Area | |
• Total | 1,078 sq mi (2,790 km2) |
• Land | 1,063 sq mi (2,750 km2) |
• Water | 15 sq mi (40 km2) 1.4% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 57,922 |
• Density | 54/sq mi (21/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Congressional district | 6th |
Website | www |
Anderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. Located within East Texas, its county seat is Palestine. [1] As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Anderson County was 57,922. [2] Anderson County comprises the Palestine micropolitan statistical area. Anderson County was organized in 1846, and was named after Kenneth Lewis Anderson (1805-1845), the last vice president of the Republic of Texas.
Native Americans friendly to the settlers resided in East Texas [3] before the Kiowa, Kickapoo, Kichai, Apache, and Comanche relocated to the territory. [4] These tribes hunted, farmed the land, and were adept traders. By 1772, they had settled on the Brazos at Waco and on the Trinity upstream from present Palestine. The Tawakoni branch of Wichita Indians originated north of Texas, [5] 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.
On May 19, 1836, an alliance of Comanche, Kiowa, Caddo, and Wichita attacked Fort Parker (Limestone County), killing and taking settlers captive. The survivors escaped to Fort Houston, which had been erected in Anderson County in 1835 as protection against Indians. [6] [7] Some early residents of Anderson County were related to Cynthia Ann Parker, who was among the captives. [8]
In October 1838, Gen. Thomas Jefferson Rusk conducted a raid against hostile Indians at Kickapoo, near Frankston. [9] This ended the engagements with the Indians in East Texas for that year.
In 1826, empresario David G. Burnet received a grant from the Coahuila y Tejas legislature to settle 300 families in what is now Anderson County. [10] Most of the settlers came from the southern states and Missouri.
Baptist leader Daniel Parker [11] and eight other men organized the Pilgrim Predestinarian Regular Baptist Church in Lamotte, Illinois in 1833. This entire group migrated to the Texas frontier, arriving in Austins Colony in November 1833, [11] and establishing Fort Parker (Limestone County) in 1834. In October 1834, in consequence of "their members were becoming scattered in a wilderness," the Church agreed to adjourn until the majority of their members settled. [12]
After the Texas Revolution and the attack on Fort Parker, Daniel Parker and some of the survivors moved to Fort Houston (Anderson County). [13] They established a new community south of the fort.
The First Legislature of the State of Texas formed Anderson County from Houston County on March 24, 1846. The county was named for Kenneth Lewis Anderson. Palestine was named the county seat. [14]
Anderson County voted for secession from the Union. [15] When the American Civil War began, former Palestine district judge Judge John H. Reagan [16] served in the cabinet of the Confederate government as postmaster general, being captured at the end of the war and spending 22 months in solitary confinement. During Reconstruction, District Nine Court Judge Reuben A. Reeves, [17] a resident of Palestine, was removed from office as "an obstruction to Reconstruction" in part because of his refusal to allow blacks to participate as jurors in the judicial process.
In 1875, the International – Great Northern Railroad [18] placed its machine and repair shops and general offices in Palestine, causing the community to double in size over the next 5 years. For a time, it was a rough railroad town, dominated by male workers.
White violence against blacks occurred in the county, most frequently by lynchings of black men. But in July 1910, at least 22 blacks were killed in white rioting near Slocum, a majority-black community, in what is called the Slocum Massacre. Racial and economic tensions had been high in the post-Reconstruction era and southern states had disenfranchised blacks and imposed Jim Crow in furtherance of white supremacy. [19] Anderson County tied for 13th place in a list of the 25 American counties with the highest number of lynchings between 1877 and 1950 (all were located in the South). [20]
Oral tradition in the African-American community holds that as many as 200 blacks may have been killed in the massacre. An estimated 200 whites rioted and attacked blacks on the roads, in the fields, and in Slocum on July 29–30, 1910. Many black homes were burned, and black families fled for their lives, having to abandon their property and assets. This town is about 20 miles east of the county seat at Palestine. [21]
At the time, as was usual, white newspapers described such events as a "race riot" by blacks. Texas newspapers had contributed to problems by reporting false rumors that 200 blacks were arming. Afterward, 11 men were arrested and seven were indicted, including James Spurger, said by many to be the instigator, but no prosecution resulted. The massacre had been preceded by racial tensions, rumors, and, for 6 months, at least one lynching per month of Blacks in East Texas. [21]
In January 2016, the state installed a highway historical marker in Slocum to recognize this unprovoked white attack on the black community. [22] It was part of a history of white violence against blacks.
In 1926, the Humble Oil and Refining Company, in partnership with the Rio Bravo Company, started an exploration drilling program along Boggy Creek, in what turned our to be the Boggy Creek salt dome. On March 19, 1927, the Elliott and Clark No. 1 encountered the Woodbine Formation at a depth of 3,838 feet (1,170 m) and produced 62 barrels of oil per hour, but showed salt water after producing only 15,000 barrels. On November 10, 1927, the Elliott and Clark No. 2, 150 feet to the west, was completed as a gas well. On February 4, 1928, the first oil-producing well in Anderson County, the Humble-Lizzie Smith No. 1, was completed, producing 80 BOPD. By May 1931, 80 wells had been drilled in the Boggy Creek Oil Field, 6 of which produced gas, 33 oil, and 41 were dry holes. [23] [24] [25]
The Fairway Oil Field was discovered in 1960, and straddles the border of Anderson and Henderson Counties. Oil is produced from the Lower Cretaceous James Limestone member of the Pearsall formation. [26]
The Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area was purchased by the state between 1950 and 1960, [27] much of it formerly owned by Milze L. Derden. The area was renamed in 1952 for Gus A. Engeling, the first state biologist assigned to the area who was killed by a poacher on December 13, 1951.
Anderson County is situated at the threshold of two ecoregions, the piney woods to the east, and the East Central Texas forests, also referred to as post oak savanna to the west. The terrain of Anderson County consists of hills carved by drainages and gullies, with numerous lakes and ponds. The Trinity River flows southward along the west boundary line of the county; the Neches River flows southward along its east boundary line, and Brushy Creek flows southeastward through the central portion of the county. [28] The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest points along the midpoint of its northern boundary line at 551 ft (168 m) ASL. [29] The county has a total area of 1,078 square miles (2,790 km2), of which 1,063 square miles (2,750 km2) are land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (1.4%) are covered by water. [30]
The county is wholly located within area codes 430 and 903. [31] [32]
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Anderson County. [33]
†county seat
Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2010 Census) | 1 | † Palestine | City | 57,496 | 2 | ' Elkhart | Town | 1,299 | 3 | Frankston | 1,170 |
---|
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 2,684 | — | |
1860 | 10,398 | 287.4% | |
1870 | 9,229 | −11.2% | |
1880 | 17,395 | 88.5% | |
1890 | 20,923 | 20.3% | |
1900 | 28,015 | 33.9% | |
1910 | 29,650 | 5.8% | |
1920 | 34,318 | 15.7% | |
1930 | 34,643 | 0.9% | |
1940 | 37,092 | 7.1% | |
1950 | 31,875 | −14.1% | |
1960 | 28,162 | −11.6% | |
1970 | 27,789 | −1.3% | |
1980 | 38,381 | 38.1% | |
1990 | 48,024 | 25.1% | |
2000 | 55,109 | 14.8% | |
2010 | 58,458 | 6.1% | |
2020 | 57,922 | −0.9% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [34] 1850–2010 [35] 2010-2020 [36] |
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 [37] | Pop 2010 [38] | Pop 2020 [36] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 34,762 | 35,792 | 33,098 | 63.08% | 61.23% | 57.14% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 12,897 | 12,222 | 11,430 | 23.40% | 20.91% | 19.73% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 135 | 192 | 193 | 0.24% | 0.33% | 0.33% |
Asian alone (NH) | 243 | 283 | 381 | 0.44% | 0.48% | 0.66% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 7 | 16 | 13 | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.02% |
Other race alone (NH) | 11 | 37 | 113 | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.20% |
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 349 | 629 | 1,583 | 0.63% | 1.08% | 2.73% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 6,705 | 9,287 | 11,111 | 12.17% | 15.89% | 19.18% |
Total | 55,109 | 58,458 | 57,922 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
From its initial population of 2,684 in 1850, Anderson County's population increased to 55,109 people at the 2000 U.S. census. [39] By the publication of the 2020 United States census, its population further grew to 57,922, [36] though the 2020 tabulation is a decline of negative 0.9% from 2010's 58,458 residents at the 2010 U.S. census.
Among the growing population of Anderson county, its racial and ethnic makeup has remained predominantly non-Hispanic or non-Latino white, although its Hispanic and Latino American population of any race increased to consist of more than 11,000 residents as of 2020; the increase in Hispanic and Latino American residency reflected nationwide trends of diversification since the 2020 census. [40] [41] Of note, its African American communities have remained relatively the same, though experiencing a slight decline; multiracial Americans have increased to 2.73% of the population.
Consisting of 16,555 households according to the 2020 American Community Survey's 5-year estimates, [42] there was a homeownership rate of 71.5%. Among the population, the median gross rent was $829 against the statewide median of $1,082. [43] The median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $110,000, and the median mortgage was $1,102; housing units without a mortgage had a median monthly cost of $441.[ when? ] In 2000, there were 15,678 households, 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were not families. About 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[ when? ]
In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $31,957, and for a family was $37,513. Males had a median income of $27,070 versus $21,577 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,838. About 12.70% of families and 16.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 16.60% of those age 65 or over. In 2020, its median household income grew to $45,847 and 14.1% of the population lived at or below the poverty line. [42] The impoverished communities in Anderson County consisted of 21.5% of residents under the age of 18, and 9.9% were aged 65 and older.
Anderson County is governed by a commissioners' court. It consists of the county judge, who is elected at-large and presides over the full court, and four commissioners, who are elected from the county's four single-member precincts. [44] [45]
Office | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
County judge | Robert D. Johnston | Republican | |
Precinct 1 | Greg Chapin | Republican | |
Precinct 2 | Rashad Mims | Democratic | |
Precinct 3 | Kenneth Dickson | Republican | |
Precinct 4 | Joey Hill | Republican |
Office | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
County clerk | Mark Staples | Republican | |
Criminal district attorney | Allyson Mitchell | Republican | |
District clerk | Teresa Coker | Republican | |
Sheriff | W. R. (Rudy) Flores | Republican | |
Tax assessor-collector | Teri Garvey Hanks | Republican | |
Treasurer | Tara Holliday | Republican |
Office | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Precinct 1 | David Franklin | ||
Precinct 2 | Doug Lightfoot | Republican | |
Precinct 3 | Kim Dickson | Republican | |
Precinct 4 | James Muniz | Republican |
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates state prisons for men in the county. The prisons Beto, Coffield, Michael, and Powledge units and the Gurney Unit transfer facility are located in an unincorporated area 7 miles (11 km) west of Palestine. [46] The Beto Unit has the Correctional Institutions Division Region II maintenance headquarters. [47]
Office | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Precinct 1 DeMarcus Cousins to 3rd | school | ||
Precinct 2 | Carl Davis | Democratic | |
Precinct 3 | James Todd | Republican | |
Precinct 4 | James Westley | Republican |
Jeff Doran, a Republican, is the judge of the county court at law. [44] [45]
Office | Name | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
3rd district court | Mark Calhoon | Republican | |
87th district court | Deborah Oakes Evans | Republican | |
349th district court | Pam Foster Fletcher | Republican | |
369th district court | Michael Davis | Republican |
Anderson is a strongly Republican county, voting Republican in every election since 1980 (as of 2020). The county last voted Democratic in 1976, when Jimmy Carter won 57% of the county's votes. Hillary Clinton managed to win just 19.8% of the vote in the county, the least of any presidential candidate since 1944.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2024 | 15,597 | 80.48% | 3,635 | 18.76% | 149 | 0.77% |
2020 | 15,110 | 78.59% | 3,955 | 20.57% | 162 | 0.84% |
2016 | 13,201 | 77.76% | 3,369 | 19.84% | 407 | 2.40% |
2012 | 12,262 | 75.64% | 3,813 | 23.52% | 137 | 0.85% |
2008 | 11,884 | 71.35% | 4,630 | 27.80% | 141 | 0.85% |
2004 | 11,525 | 70.70% | 4,678 | 28.70% | 98 | 0.60% |
2000 | 9,835 | 65.22% | 5,041 | 33.43% | 204 | 1.35% |
1996 | 6,458 | 48.19% | 5,693 | 42.49% | 1,249 | 9.32% |
1992 | 5,598 | 38.70% | 5,322 | 36.79% | 3,546 | 24.51% |
1988 | 7,858 | 55.95% | 6,128 | 43.63% | 59 | 0.42% |
1984 | 8,634 | 64.32% | 4,747 | 35.36% | 42 | 0.31% |
1980 | 5,970 | 52.69% | 5,163 | 45.57% | 197 | 1.74% |
1976 | 4,172 | 42.94% | 5,499 | 56.60% | 44 | 0.45% |
1972 | 5,826 | 72.24% | 2,233 | 27.69% | 6 | 0.07% |
1968 | 2,828 | 29.86% | 3,447 | 36.40% | 3,196 | 33.75% |
1964 | 3,362 | 41.10% | 4,809 | 58.78% | 10 | 0.12% |
1960 | 3,642 | 52.16% | 3,296 | 47.21% | 44 | 0.63% |
1956 | 4,181 | 60.47% | 2,710 | 39.20% | 23 | 0.33% |
1952 | 4,637 | 57.18% | 3,462 | 42.69% | 10 | 0.12% |
1948 | 1,199 | 23.07% | 3,242 | 62.37% | 757 | 14.56% |
1944 | 467 | 8.53% | 4,342 | 79.32% | 665 | 12.15% |
1940 | 688 | 11.51% | 5,281 | 88.37% | 7 | 0.12% |
1936 | 289 | 7.15% | 3,749 | 92.80% | 2 | 0.05% |
1932 | 259 | 5.60% | 4,354 | 94.10% | 14 | 0.30% |
1928 | 1,814 | 50.94% | 1,747 | 49.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
1924 | 562 | 47.19% | 374 | 31.40% | 255 | 21.41% |
1920 | 323 | 8.23% | 2,355 | 59.98% | 1,248 | 31.79% |
1916 | 501 | 18.71% | 1,984 | 74.11% | 192 | 7.17% |
1912 | 444 | 19.38% | 1,737 | 75.82% | 110 | 4.80% |
These school districts serve areas in Anderson County:
Anderson County is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth DMA. Local TV media outlets include: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, and KDAF-TV. Other nearby TV stations that provide coverage for Anderson County come from the Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville market and they include: KLTV, KTRE-TV, KYTX-TV, KFXK-TV, and KETK-TV.
Newspapers serving Anderson County include the Palestine Herald-Press in Palestine and the weekly online Frankston Citizen in Frankston.
Reagan County is a county on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,385. The county seat is Big Lake. The county is named after John Henninger Reagan (1818–1905), who was the postmaster general of the Confederate States and also a U.S. senator, U.S. representative, and first chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas.
Rains County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,164. Its seat is Emory. The county are named for Emory Rains, a Texas state legislator.
Matagorda County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 36,255. Its county seat is Bay City, not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers Counties. Matagorda County is named for the canebrakes that once grew along the coast.
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,725. Its county seat is Jefferson. Marion County is in East Texas and is named for Francis Marion, the Revolutionary War general from South Carolina who was nicknamed the "Swamp Fox".
Limestone County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,146. Its county seat is Groesbeck. The county was created in 1846.
Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 179,927. Its county seat is Cleburne. Johnson County is named for Colonel Middleton Tate Johnson Sr., a Texas Ranger, politician and soldier in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. Johnson County is included in the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area.
Hutchinson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 20,617. Its county seat is Stinnett. The county was created in 1876, but not organized until 1901. It is named for Andrew Hutchinson, an early Texas attorney.
Hood County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,598. Its county seat is Granbury. The county is named for John Bell Hood, a Confederate lieutenant general and the commander of Hood's Texas Brigade.
Hansford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,285. Its county seat is Spearman. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1889. It is named for John M. Hansford, a Texas state congressman and judge.
Gregg County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 124,239. Its county seat is Longview. The county is named after John Gregg, a Confederate general killed in action during the American Civil War.
Crockett County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,098. The county seat is Ozona. The county was founded in 1875 and later organized in 1891. It is named in honor of Davy Crockett, the legendary frontiersman who died at the Battle of the Alamo.
Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 50,412. The county seat is Rusk, which lies 130 miles southeast of Dallas and 160 miles north of Houston. The county was named for the Cherokee, who lived in the area before being expelled in 1839. Cherokee County comprises the Jacksonville micropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Tyler–Jacksonville combined statistical area.
Carson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,807. The county seat is Panhandle. The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1888. It is named for Samuel Price Carson, the first secretary of state of the Republic of Texas.
Calhoun County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,106. Its county seat is Port Lavaca. The county is named for John Caldwell Calhoun, the seventh vice president of the United States. Calhoun County comprises the Port Lavaca, TX Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Victoria-Port Lavaca, TX Combined Statistical Area.
Brown County is a county in west-central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,095. Its county seat is Brownwood. The county was founded in 1856 and organized in 1858. It is named for Henry Stevenson Brown, a commander at the Battle of Velasco, an early conflict between Texians and Mexicans.
Elkhart is a town the U.S. state of Texas, in Anderson County. Named for a friendly Native American who assisted the early settlers of the area, Elkhart's population was 1,287 at the 2020 U.S. census.
Frankston is a town in Anderson County, Texas, United States. With a population of 1,126 at the 2020 United States census, it is one of the most populous communities of the county area.
Palestine is a city in and the seat of Anderson County in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named after Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town. It is also contested that Micham Main named Palestine after his hometown, also Palestine, Illinois, when he and his family arrived here along with the Parker family and several others.
Berryville is a town in Henderson County, Texas, United States. The population was 824 at the 2020 census, down from 975 at the 2010 census.
Runnels County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,900. Its county seat is Ballinger. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1880. It is named for Hiram G. Runnels, a Texas state legislator.