Freestone County, Texas

Freestone County
County
The Freestone County Courthouse in Fairfield
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°42′N96°09′W / 31.7°N 96.15°W / 31.7; -96.15
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1851;173 years ago (1851)
Seat	Fairfield
Largest city	Teague
Area
• Total	892 sq mi (2,310 km2)
• Land	878 sq mi (2,270 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2)  1.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	19,435
• Density	22/sq mi (8.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 17th
Website	www.co.freestone.tx.us

Freestone County is a county in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,435. ^[1] Its county seat is Fairfield. ^[2] The county was created in 1850 and organized the next year. ^[3]

History

Native Americans

Archeological evidence of the farming Kichai ^[4] band of the Caddoan Mississippian culture dates to 200 BC in the area. ^[5]

The Hernando de Soto expedition of 1541 resulted in violent encounters with the Caddo Native Americans who occupied the area. Spanish and French missionaries carried smallpox, measles, malaria, and influenza as endemic diseases; the Caddo suffered epidemics, as they had no acquired immunity to these new diseases. ^[6] Eventually, the Caddo were forced to reservations.

The Tawakoni ^[7] branch of Wichita Indians originated as a tribe 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. The name of the Tawakoni was also sometimes spelled as Tehuacana.

County established

Old Freestone County Jail, Fairfield, Texas

This cannon was taken at the Civil War battle of Val Verde. It is on the courthouse grounds

In 1826, empresario David G. Burnet received a grant from the Coahuila y Tejas legislature to settle 300 families. ^[8] By contracting how many families each grantee could settle, the government sought to have some control over colonization.

The threat of Indian hostilities kept most from homesteading in Freestone County until the Treaty of Bird's Fort. ^[9] Within three years of the treaty, colonization, primarily from Southern states, had been so successful that the counties surrounding Freestone had already been organized. In 1850, the Texas Legislature formed Freestone County from Limestone County. Freestone is a descriptive name referring to the quality of the soil. ^[10] The county was organized in 1851. Fairfield was designated as the county seat. Of the county's total 1860 population of 6,881, ^[11] more than half (3,613) were slaves.

Freestone County voted 585–3 in favor of secession from the Union. After the Civil War, while the loss of slave labor may have hurt the planters in the local county economy, by the end of Reconstruction, the number of farms doubled, with more smaller farms than before the war. Continuing economic and social tensions after Reconstruction resulted in Whites lynching Blacks to keep them in place as second-class citizens. Freestone County had nine such lynchings from 1877 into the early 20th century, most around the turn of the century. This was the fifth-highest total in the state, tied with that of Grimes County, Texas. ^[12]

The Houston and Texas Central Railway was constructed to skirt the county to the west and south in 1870, giving the local economy a boost. ^[13] and the International – Great Northern Railroad ^[14] The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway, ^[15] laid track across the county in 1906, helping the growing economy.

The Prohibition Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution took effect in 1920, banning the sale, manufacturing, and transportation of alcoholic beverages for public consumption. In the period until its repeal by the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1933, ^[16] some enterprising individuals in Freestone followed a national trend and began bootlegging for profit. This illegal activity put food on the table for some people during a period when the local economy was in a downward slide.

In 1969, the Texas Utilities Generating Company located a new power plant near Fairfield called Big Brown Power Plant. A dam was built to create Fairfield Lake to provide stored water for a cooling system for the plant. ^[17] Fairfield Lake State Park was established around the lake and opened to the public in 1976. ^[18] Big Brown was shut down in February 2018. ^[19]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 892 sq mi (2,310 km²), of which 878 sq mi (2,270 km²) are land and 14 sq mi (36 km²) (1.6%) are covered by water. ^[20]

Major highways

• Interstate 45
• U.S. Highway 79
• U.S. Highway 84
• U.S. Highway 287
• State Highway 14
• State Highway 75
• State Highway 164
• State Highway 179

Adjacent counties

• Henderson County (north)
• Anderson County (northeast)
• Leon County (southeast)
• Limestone County (southwest)
• Navarro County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	6,881		—
1870	8,139		18.3%
1880	14,921		83.3%
1890	15,987		7.1%
1900	18,910		18.3%
1910	20,557		8.7%
1920	23,264		13.2%
1930	22,589		−2.9%
1940	21,138		−6.4%
1950	15,696		−25.7%
1960	12,525		−20.2%
1970	11,116		−11.2%
1980	14,830		33.4%
1990	15,818		6.7%
2000	17,867		13.0%
2010	19,816		10.9%
2020	19,435		−1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [21] 1850–2010 [22] 2010 [23] 2020 [24]

Freestone County, Texas - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010 [23]	Pop 2020 [24]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	13,656	12,817	68.91%	65.95%
Black or African American alone (NH)	3,164	2,740	15.97%	14.10%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	77	64	0.39%	0.33%
Asian alone (NH)	50	66	0.25%	0.34%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	5	11	0.03%	0.06%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	8	46	0.04%	0.24%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	162	536	0.82%	2.76%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,694	3,155	13.60%	16.23%
Total	19,816	19,435	100.00%	100.00%

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 can be of any race.

As of the census ^[25] of 2010, 19,816 people, 6,588 households, and 4,664 families were residing in the county. The population density was 20 people/sq mi (7.7 people/km²). The 8,138 housing units averaged 9 per square mile (3.5/km²).

The racial makeup of the county was 73.1% White, 16.1% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 8.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. About 13.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 7,259 households, 28% had children under 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were not families. About 27% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.51, and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the age distribution was 23.6% under 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 110.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,560, and for a family was $59,696. Males had a median income of $30,633 versus $19,214 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,338. About 9.80% of families and 14.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.80% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Freestone County is currently listed as part of the Dallas-Fort Worth DMA, although it is located in eastern Central Texas, geographically closer to the Waco metropolitan area. Local media outlets include: KDFW-TV, KXAS-TV, WFAA-TV, KTVT-TV, KERA-TV, KTXA-TV, KDFI-TV, KDAF-TV, and KFWD-TV, and all of the Waco/Temple/Killeen market stations also provide coverage for Freestone County. They include: KCEN-TV, KWTX-TV, KXXV-TV,KAKW-TV and KWKT-TV.

The Freestone County Times and The Fairfield Recorder newspapers serve the county. The Teague Chronicle is the hometown newspaper of Teague (Freestone County), Texas, and has served Teague and Freestone Counties for over a century.

Communities

Cities

• Fairfield (county seat)
• Teague

Towns

• Kirvin
• Oakwood (mostly in Leon County)
• Streetman (small part in Navarro County)
• Wortham

Unincorporated communities

• Butler
• Dew
• Donie
• Freestone

Ghost town

• Coutchman

Notable people

See also: Category:People from Freestone County, Texas

• Leonard Davis (born 1978), NFL offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, grew up in Wortham.
• Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893–1929), blues musician, was born near Wortham.
• Washington Phillips (1880–1954), gospel blues musician, was born in the county.
• George Watkins (1900–70), Major League Baseball player who owns the record for highest batting average as a rookie, was born in the county.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Freestone County, Texas ^[26]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,991	80.25%	1,635	18.77%	85	0.98%
2016	6,026	78.42%	1,471	19.14%	187	2.43%
2012	5,646	74.58%	1,850	24.44%	74	0.98%
2008	5,205	71.42%	2,034	27.91%	49	0.67%
2004	5,057	70.62%	2,070	28.91%	34	0.47%
2000	4,247	63.95%	2,316	34.87%	78	1.17%
1996	2,888	47.37%	2,630	43.14%	579	9.50%
1992	2,316	36.39%	2,445	38.41%	1,604	25.20%
1988	3,159	51.85%	2,916	47.87%	17	0.28%
1984	3,624	59.20%	2,489	40.66%	9	0.15%
1980	2,468	46.88%	2,739	52.02%	58	1.10%
1976	1,674	38.39%	2,679	61.43%	8	0.18%
1972	2,459	65.61%	1,283	34.23%	6	0.16%
1968	958	23.41%	2,066	50.48%	1,069	26.12%
1964	1,074	27.60%	2,816	72.35%	2	0.05%
1960	1,629	44.63%	1,997	54.71%	24	0.66%
1956	1,627	47.09%	1,813	52.47%	15	0.43%
1952	1,707	37.02%	2,902	62.94%	2	0.04%
1948	460	14.24%	2,265	70.12%	505	15.63%
1944	277	9.17%	2,427	80.31%	318	10.52%
1940	481	12.03%	3,514	87.85%	5	0.13%
1936	134	6.48%	1,929	93.23%	6	0.29%
1932	170	6.40%	2,481	93.41%	5	0.19%
1928	1,178	47.14%	1,318	52.74%	3	0.12%
1924	608	19.17%	2,484	78.31%	80	2.52%
1920	378	13.74%	1,463	53.16%	911	33.10%
1916	637	27.56%	1,575	68.15%	99	4.28%
1912	475	26.24%	1,305	72.10%	30	1.66%

See also

• Texas portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Freestone County, Texas
• Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Freestone County

References

1. "Freestone 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. "Texas: Individual County Chronologies". Texas Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
4. "Kichai Indian History". Access Genealogy. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
5. "Caddo Timeline". Texas Beyond History. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
6. "Caddo (Kadahadacho)". Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010. Oklahoma Historical Society
7. Krieger, Margery H: Tawakoni Indians from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved May 2, 2010. Texas State Historical Association
8. "Empresario Contracts in the Colonization of Texas 1825–1834". Texas A & M University. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010. Wallace L. McKeehan,
9. "Treaty Negotiations 1825–1834". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
10. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 132.
11. Leffler, John: Freestone County from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved May 2, 2010. Texas State Historical Association
12. "Lynching in America, Third Edition: Supplement by County" (PDF). eji.org. Mobile, AL: Equal Justice Initiative. 2017. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 23, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
13. Werner, George C: Houston Texas and Central Railway from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved May 2, 2010. Texas State Historical Association
14. Werner, George C: International-Great Northern Railroad from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved May 2, 2010. Texas State Historical Association
15. "Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway". Don's Depot. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
16. "Freestone Bootlegging". Fairfield Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
17. "Fairfield Lake (Trinity River Basin)". Texas Water Development Board. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
18. "Fairfield Lake State Park History". Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
19. Zhou, Jeff (November 6, 2017). "ERCOT OKs Vistra's plan to retire 2,400 MW coal capacity in Texas". Platts. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
20. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
21. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
22. "Texas Almanac: Population History of Counties from 1850–2010" (PDF). Texas Almanac. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
23. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Freestone County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
24. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Freestone County, Texas". United States Census Bureau .
25. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
26. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved July 23, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Freestone County from the Handbook of Texas Online
• See a map, Freestone County / sponsored by Freestone County Historical Survey Committee. hosted by the Portal to Texas History.
• Freestone County Times homepage

31°42′N96°09′W / 31.70°N 96.15°W / 31.70; -96.15