Grayson County, Texas

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Grayson County
Grayson county tx courthouse.jpg
The Grayson County Courthouse in Sherman
Grayson County tx seal.jpg
Map of Texas highlighting Grayson County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas in United States.svg
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°37′N96°41′W / 33.62°N 96.68°W / 33.62; -96.68
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Texas.svg  Texas
Founded1846
Named for Peter Wagener Grayson
Seat Sherman
Largest citySherman
Area
  Total
979 sq mi (2,540 km2)
  Land933 sq mi (2,420 km2)
  Water46 sq mi (120 km2)  4.7%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
135,543
  Density140/sq mi (53/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th
Website www.co.grayson.tx.us

Grayson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 135,543. [1] The county seat is Sherman. [2] The county was founded in 1846 and is named after Peter Wagener Grayson, an attorney general of the Republic of Texas. Grayson County is included in the Sherman-Denison metropolitan statistical area, which is also included in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, combined statistical area. Located on the state's border with Oklahoma, it is part of the Texoma region, with proximity to Lake Texoma and the Red River.

Contents

History

The earliest known inhabitants of what is now Grayson County were Caddo Amerindian groups, including Tonkawa, Ionis, and Kichai. These groups engaged in agriculture and traded with Spanish and French colonists at trading posts along the Red River. [3] Trading posts were established at Preston Bend on the Red River, Warren, and Pilot Grove during 1836 and 1837.

After the establishment of the Peters Colony in the early 1840s, settlement near the Red River increased. Grayson County was created from Fannin County by the Texas State Legislature on March 17, 1846. [4] The county seat, Sherman, was also designated by the Texas State Legislature.

In the 1850s, trading and marketing at Preston Bend became more important, as agriculture expanded in the county. This was helped by Preston Road, the first trail in the state. It went from Preston Bend to Austin, Texas. More growth occurred after the establishment of Sherman as a station of the Butterfield Overland Mail route in 1856.

Opinions in the county about secession were divided. County residents voted by more than two to one in 1861 against secession, desiring to remain in the Union. The Great Hanging at Gainesville in nearby Cooke County in October 1862 was an attack on dissenters, men who were suspected of resisting conscription and having been Unionists. After 150-200 men were arrested by state troops, the military organized a so-called "Citizens Court", which had no basis in state law. Its jury made up its own rules and convicted and sentenced more than 25 men to death by hanging. Another 14 were lynched outright by a mob without even the cover of a trial. A total of 42 men were killed in the proceedings that month, considered the largest vigilante murders in U.S. history.

Violence continued for a time in Sherman and other towns of North Texas, at times at the hands of Confederate military. E. Junius Foster, the editor of the Patriot newspaper, was murdered in 1862 by Capt. Jim Young, son of Col. William Young, who had been killed in Cooke County. The senior Young had organized the Citizens Court that put so many men to death, and Foster had "applauded" Young's death. When other men were rounded up as suspect Unionists in Sherman, Brig. General James W. Throckmorton intervened and saved all but five who had already been lynched. [5]

Men from Grayson County served the Confederacy at locations in the South. The 11th Texas Cavalry Regiment captured federal forts in the Indian Territory north of the Red River.

Grayson County and much of Texas suffered economic depression in the postwar years during the Reconstruction era, based in part on difficulties in reliance on agriculture in the South, adjustments to free labor, and other problems. The driving of cattle herds north along Preston Road provided needed income for the county during this period.

After the Houston & Texas Central (now UPRR) and Katy railroads began operating in the county in 1872, settlement in Grayson County picked up and flourished during the 1870s and 1880s. Cotton plantations were developed to cultivate this as the predominant commodity crop. Many towns, including Denison, Van Alstyne, Howe, Whitewright, Pottsboro, and Tom Bean, were founded during this time.

In 1879, a group of settlers who had settled in North Texas both before and after statehood came together in Grayson County for political discussions. They formed the Old Settlers Association of North Texas. The association accepted donations and purchased 26 acres. They continued to meet on an annual basis for many years. [6] [7]

On May 15, 1896, a tornado measuring F5 on the Fujita scale struck Sherman. The tornado's damage path was 400 yards (370 m) wide and 28 miles (45 km) long, and it killed 73 people and injured 200. Approximately 50 homes were destroyed, with 20 of them being obliterated.

20th century to present

During the Sherman Riot of 1930 (May 9, 1930), [8] Grayson County's 1876 courthouse was burned down by a white mob that rioted during the trial of George Hughes, an African-American man. When the riot started, Hughes was locked by police in the vault at the courthouse, and died in the fire. After rioters retrieved Hughes' body from the vault, they dragged it behind a car, hanged it, and set afire. Texas Ranger Frank Hamer was in Grayson County during this riot, and reported the situation to Texas Governor Dan Moody. [9] Governor Moody sent National Guard troops to Grayson County on May 9 and more on May 10 to control the situation. Grayson County's current courthouse was completed in 1936.

The Bridge War, also called the Red River Bridge War or the Toll Bridge War, was a 1931 bloodless boundary conflict between the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Texas over an existing toll bridge and a new free bridge crossing the Red River between Grayson County, Texas, and Bryan County, Oklahoma.

In 1938, construction of a dam on the Red River was authorized by the United States Congress. The dam's construction was completed in part by the use of labor provided by German prisoners-of-war held at Camp Howze, [10] in adjacent Cooke County during World War II. The dam is now known as Denison Dam. Lake Texoma was formed behind it and is used for recreation, irrigation, and electrical power generation.

Perrin Air Force Base was constructed in 1941. The base closure in 1971 was a blow to the county economy; however, the availability of skilled labor formerly associated with the base helped attract industrial plants. In addition, the base was converted to a civilian airport: North Texas Regional Airport - Perrin Field.

A rancher transports round bales of hay down a rural road in Grayson County, Texas: The economy of the county relies in part upon agriculture and ranchers. Hay Bales.jpg
A rancher transports round bales of hay down a rural road in Grayson County, Texas: The economy of the county relies in part upon agriculture and ranchers.

The Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site, which is the birthplace of Dwight D. Eisenhower in Denison, was acquired and restored in 1952. Since 1993, the site is no longer maintained by the state, because of budget cuts, but it is maintained by a private nonprofit organization. [11]

Grayson County is the only county in Texas where "deer may only be hunted with bows, no matter the season", according to an article by Thomas Phillips in the April 10, 2009, issue of Lone Star Outdoor News.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 979 sq mi (2,540 km2), of which 933 sq mi (2,420 km2) are land and 46 sq mi (120 km2) (4.7%) are covered by water. [12]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1850 2,008
1860 8,184307.6%
1870 14,38775.8%
1880 38,108164.9%
1890 53,21139.6%
1900 63,66119.6%
1910 65,9963.7%
1920 74,16512.4%
1930 65,843−11.2%
1940 69,4995.6%
1950 70,4671.4%
1960 73,0433.7%
1970 83,22513.9%
1980 89,7967.9%
1990 95,0215.8%
2000 110,59516.4%
2010 120,8779.3%
2020 135,54312.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [14]
1850–2010 [15] 2010 [16] 2020 [17]
Grayson County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000 [18] Pop 2010 [16] Pop 2020 [17] % 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)92,85795,10395,21183.96%78.68%70.24%
Black or African American alone (NH)6,3856,9387,4485.77%5.74%5.49%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)1,3141,6031,8761.19%1.33%1.38%
Asian alone (NH)6131,0341,9580.55%0.86%1.44%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)4538580.04%0.03%0.04%
Other race alone (NH)34773480.03%0.06%0.26%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1,8282,3967,7761.65%1.98%5.74%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)7,51913,68820,8686.80%11.32%15.40%
Total110,595120,877135,543100.00%100.00%100.00%

As of the census of 2000, [19] 110,595 people, 42,849 households, and 30,208 families resided in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile (46 people/km2). The 48,315 housing units averaged 52 units per square mile (20/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.20% White, 5.85% Black or African American, 1.31% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.90% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races; 6.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. By 2020, its population was 135,543; its racial makeup was 70.24% non-Hispanic white, 5.49% Black or African American, 1.38% Native American, 1.44% Asian American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.26% some other race, 5.74% multiracial, and 14.50% Hispanic or Latino of any race. [17]

Government and politics

Government

Grayson County is governed by a Commissioners Court, which is composed of a county judge and four commissioners. The county judge is elected by the entire county while the four commissioners are elected from four different precincts. [20]

County Judge & Commissioners

Office [21] NameParty
 County JudgeBruce DawseyRepublican
 Commissioner, Precinct 1Josh MarrRepublican
 Commissioner, Precinct 2Art ArthurRepublican
 Commissioner, Precinct 3Lindsay WrightRepublican
 Commissioner, Precinct 4Matt HardenburgRepublican

County Officials

Office [21] NameParty
 County ClerkDeana PattersonRepublican
 Criminal District AttorneyJohn HillRepublican
 District ClerkKelly AshmoreRepublican
 SheriffTony BennieRepublican
 Tax Assessor-CollectorBruce StidhamRepublican

Justices of the Peace

Office [21] NameParty
 Precinct 1Ginny HamptonRepublican
 Precinct 2Dennis MichaelRepublican
 Precinct 3Damon VannoyRepublican
 Precinct 4Christina FoxRepublican

Politics

United States presidential election results for Grayson County, Texas [22]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.%No.%No.%
2024 50,55676.55%14,80022.41%6851.04%
2020 44,16374.13%14,50624.35%9071.52%
2016 35,32574.50%10,30121.72%1,7903.78%
2012 30,93673.20%10,67025.25%6581.56%
2008 31,13668.33%13,90030.51%5281.16%
2004 30,77769.28%13,45230.28%1940.44%
2000 25,59664.09%13,64734.17%6971.75%
1996 17,16948.48%14,33840.49%3,90411.02%
1992 12,32232.15%12,54732.73%13,46335.12%
1988 18,82556.55%14,34743.10%1150.35%
1984 22,55465.47%11,80334.26%930.27%
1980 16,81153.66%13,80744.08%7082.26%
1976 11,98141.18%17,01558.48%990.34%
1972 16,76970.65%6,95229.29%130.05%
1968 8,00734.81%10,37945.12%4,61520.06%
1964 5,50027.88%14,20772.01%210.11%
1960 7,31242.44%9,86657.26%530.31%
1956 7,40245.33%8,87654.35%520.32%
1952 7,73642.52%10,43557.35%230.13%
1948 2,17415.37%10,99177.69%9836.95%
1944 1,3729.75%11,63682.70%1,0627.55%
1940 1,3409.65%12,53090.25%140.10%
1936 9478.17%10,62791.64%230.20%
1932 1,31711.98%9,63187.62%440.40%
1928 6,27757.63%4,60042.23%150.14%
1924 1,97319.09%7,41371.73%9499.18%
1920 2,12526.75%5,24165.97%5797.29%
1916 1,02415.95%5,09279.30%3054.75%
1912 4117.86%3,93875.31%88016.83%

In 1992, Grayson was one of only four counties in Texas to have a plurality voting for Ross Perot. Democrats recovered somewhat in the 1996 United States presidential election in Texas but not enough as Bob Dole began a since-unbroken streak of Republican victories at the Presidential level with Grayson County voting over 60% Republican since 2000.

See also

References

  1. "Grayson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. J., KUMLER, DONNA (June 15, 2010). "GRAYSON COUNTY". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved July 24, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. The Grayson County Historical Commission, "Laws of the State of Texas, An Act to Create the County of Grayson", http://www.co.grayson.tx.us/users/Historical/An_Act.pdf Archived May 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine , accessed May 1, 2015.
  5. McCaslin, Richard B. "Great Hanging of Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  6. "Grayson County". www.co.grayson.tx.us. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  7. Old Settlers Association (Grayson County, Tex.). Old Settler's Association of Grayson County, Vol. 1., Book, 1879 - 1899; (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth11279/  : accessed May 4, 2015), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Old Settler's Association of Grayson County, Sherman, Texas.
  8. Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Sherman Riot of 1930" (accessed March 6, 2007)
  9. "Statement from Frank Hamer, May 13, 1930 | TSLAC". www.tsl.state.tx.us. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  10. P., KRAMMER, ARNOLD (June 15, 2010). "GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved July 24, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. BRIAN, HART (June 12, 2010). "EISENHOWER BIRTHPLACE STATE HISTORICAL SITE". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  12. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  13. "Texas Cities and Towns Sorted by County". www.county.org. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  14. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  15. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  16. 1 2 "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Grayson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
  17. 1 2 3 "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Grayson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
  18. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Grayson County, Texas". United States Census Bureau.
  19. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  20. "Grayson County Texas". www.co.grayson.tx.us. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  21. 1 2 3 "Grayson County Texas". www.co.grayson.tx.us. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  22. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 6, 2018.

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33°37′N96°41′W / 33.62°N 96.68°W / 33.62; -96.68