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Groesbeck, Texas

Coordinates: 31°31′22″N 96°31′56″W / 31.52278°N 96.53222°W / 31.52278; -96.53222
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Groesbeck, Texas
City
Motto: 
The Friendly City
Location of Groesbeck, Texas
Location of Groesbeck, Texas
Coordinates: 31°31′22″N 96°31′56″W / 31.52278°N 96.53222°W / 31.52278; -96.53222
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyLimestone
Government
 • MayorMatthew Dawley
Area
[1]
 • Total
4.37 sq mi (11.33 km2)
 • Land4.34 sq mi (11.24 km2)
 • Water0.04 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation
567 ft (200 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
3,631
 • Density980.18/sq mi (378.44/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
76642
Area code254
FIPS code48-31280[1]
GNIS feature ID1358461[2]
Websitewww.cityofgroesbeck.com

Groesbeck (/ɡroʊzbɛk/ GROWS-beck) is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, Texas, United States.[3] Located along Texas State Highway 14 and Texas State Highway 164, it sits in the northern part of the Texas Triangle. Its population was 3,631 at the 2020 census.[4]

History

[edit]

The Tawakoni, who are part of the Wichita people, are attested living between the Trinity and Brazos river since at least 1768.[5] [6]

European Colonization

[edit]

Limestone county was a part of the Empresario grants given out by the government of Coahuila y Tejas, with Haden Edwards given permission to settle an area including most of Limestone county in 1825, but the Mexican government legally forbade Anglo-Americans from settling into Mexican Texas after the Law of April 6, 1830.[7][8] Settlement continued however, including in 1833 when a group of Anglos from Illinois settled Fort Parker, the earliest known settlement in the vicinity. [9] Numerous Mexican and Anglo settlers made land claims in the area before 1836. After 1836, due in part to the Fort Parker massacre, the newly established Republic of Texas forbade new settlement until the Treaty of Tehuacana Creek in 1844. In the mid 1840s, two more towns were founded before on April 11, 1846, Limestone county was formed from Robertson's Colony, with Springfield being named county seat. As of 1860 there was a population of 3,464 whites, 1,072 slaves, and a free black woman.[10] In 1861, 98% of voters in Limestone county voted to secede and join the Confederate States of America.

Fort Parker

[edit]

Fort Parker State Park, located north of Groesbeck, is preserved to tell the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was captured by Comanches, and became the mother of Quanah Parker, the last Comanche chief.

Reconstruction

[edit]

After the Civil War, in June 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation was read from the front porch of the largest slaveholder in the county, Logan Stroud, who held over 150 people in bondage.[11] Juneteenth has been celebrated since then in Booker T. Washington park along Lake Mexia, with early crowds reaching 20,000 as they listened to passionate speeches by local preachers. Seperately, white veterans of the Civil War began their own summer gathering nearby at Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site.

During the Reconstruction era, the Union took major control over the former confederate states and in June 1867 Limestone County was assigned a Freedmen's Bureau agent to assist newly freed former-slaves. The agent was shot and killed within 6 months of his arrival.[12]

On September 30, 1871 in Groesbeck, two black police officers went to arrest a white man committing a crime, when the white man pulled out a gun, and was then shot and killed in a firefight. The police officers, understanding the immediate threat to their lives, fled to the mayor's office. Soon, after the town had gathered around the scene, a man rode in on horseback claiming there were "one-hundred armed blacks" heading towards Groesbeck.[13] The mayor, Adolph Zadek, was threatened with his life by a mob of armed whites to call all citizens to arms and to issue arrest warrants for the two black officers. Shortly after, the mob appointed a new mayor and used their new-found authority to expropriate 30 weapons from a local store. At this point the mob numbered about 600-800 men. The two black police officers escaped the mob, but were arrested the next morning and put under the protection of the state guard. Blacks were prevented from voting in Limestone county during this period due to threats of violence, but this was especially relevant in the election of 1871, which occured just a few days later on October 3.

"Words had passed through the county that Blacks and [Republicans] would be killed if they attempted to vote. Blacks who did go to the polls were told to go home."[14]

Communication with the capitol was slow since riotous citizens cut the telegraph lines. Having finally heard news of what was taking place, Governor Edmund J. Davis petitioned the US Department of War for aid, and General John F. Reynolds personally responded. Governor Davis also placed Limestone county under martial law and sent the State Police Captain and a Major General commanding a combined force of hundreds of armed men, although by the time they arrived, the elections had passed. The state faced resistance from local officials, but the rioting was calmed by this show of force. On November 6 the Texas House of Representatives voted that the declaration of martial law was illegal, and civil authority was restored on November 9, 1871.[15]

Early Days

[edit]

Groesbeck was incorportated in April of 1871. It experienced a brief boom after a rail connection to Houston was made by the Houston & Texas Central Railroad Company. This rail connection is responsible for Groesbeck becoming the county seat in 1874.[16] The difference in spelling between the person and town is a result of the post office directives for simpler spelling.[17] The last legal execution in Limestone County occurred on April 12, 1895, when Richard Burleson, who had been convicted of murdering James Garrett McKinnon, was hanged in front of the courthouse in Groesbeck.[18]

Geography

[edit]

Groesbeck is located at 31°31′22″N 96°31′56″W / 31.52278°N 96.53222°W / 31.52278; -96.53222 (31.522907, –96.532125).[19]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km2), of which 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km2) are almost all land (0.27% covered by water).

The community is located at the junction of State Highways 14 and 164.

Groesbeck is the closest town to historic Old Fort Parker. The fort holds an annual Christmas event at the site every December. The original fort has been rebuilt on the original site to the original specifications.

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880402—
189066364.9%
19001,462120.5%
19101,454−0.5%
19201,5224.7%
19302,05935.3%
19402,27210.3%
19502,182−4.0%
19602,49814.5%
19702,396−4.1%
19803,37340.8%
19903,185−5.6%
20004,29134.7%
20104,3280.9%
20203,631−16.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[20]
Groesbeck racial composition as of 2020[21]
(NH = Non-Hispanic)[a]
Race Number Percentage
White (NH) 1,921 52.91%
Black or African American (NH) 703 19.36%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH) 9 0.25%
Asian (NH) 33 0.91%
Some Other Race (NH) 6 0.17%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH) 113 3.11%
Hispanic or Latino 846 23.3%
Total 3,631

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,631 people, 1,416 households, and 956 families residing in the city.

At the 2010 census, 4,328 people, 1,286 households, and 864 families lived in the city. The population density was 989 people/sq mi (382/km2). The 1,473 housing units averaged 336.8/s mi (130/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 65.36% White, 20.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 11.3% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 20.9%.[20]

Of the 1,286 households, 32.6% had children under 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were not families. About 29.2% of households were one person and 13% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.6, and the average family size was 3.25.

The age distribution in the city was 24.6% under 18, 8.4% from 19 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% 65 or older. The median age was 34.4 years.

Government

[edit]

The City of Groesbeck is a type A general-law city. The current mayor is Matthew Dawley.[24] The five current city council members are Tamika Jackson, Warren Anglin, Kim Harris, Sonia Selvera, and Lee Cox.

The main source of water is the Navasota River.[25]

Library

[edit]

The city of Groesbeck has one public library, located at 601 W. Yeagua St., also known as Hwy. 164.

Education

[edit]

The city of Groesbeck is served by the Groesbeck Independent School District, which includes five different schools: Preschool, H.O.Whitehurst,Enge Washington, Groesbeck Middle School, and [Groesbeck High School].

Notable people

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ https://data.census.gov/all?q=Groesbeck+city,+Texas
  5. ^ https://accessgenealogy.com/texas/tawakoni-tribe.htm#identifier_5_56405
  6. ^ https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/limestone-county
  7. ^ https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/law-of-april-6-1830
  8. ^ https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2124&context=ethj
  9. ^ https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/limestone-county
  10. ^ https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/limestone-county#:~:text=Farms%20numbered%20447%2C%20with%20a,dominated%20by%20the%20Democratic%20party.
  11. ^ https://www.limestone-county-historical-museum.com/limestone-county-history/#:~:text=In%201861%2C%20ninety%2Deight%20percent,were%20organized%20in%20the%20county.
  12. ^ https://www.shsu.edu/dotAsset/c0ac2b23-8d71-4de2-af31-5bceef4798d8.pdf
  13. ^ https://www.shsu.edu/dotAsset/c0ac2b23-8d71-4de2-af31-5bceef4798d8.pdf
  14. ^ https://www.shsu.edu/dotAsset/c0ac2b23-8d71-4de2-af31-5bceef4798d8.pdf
  15. ^ https://www.shsu.edu/dotAsset/c0ac2b23-8d71-4de2-af31-5bceef4798d8.pdf
  16. ^ "GROESBECK, TX | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)". Tshaonline.org. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  17. ^ A Memorial and Biographical History of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon Counties, Texas. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. 1893. p. 366. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  18. ^ Collins, Bob (March 11, 2016). "Photo in Joe's Crab Shack decor was a hanging, not a lynching". NewsCut. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  19. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  20. ^ a b "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  21. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  22. ^ https://www.census.gov/ [not specific enough to verify]
  23. ^ "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  24. ^ "City of Groesbeck, Texas". www.cityofgroesbeck.com. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  25. ^ "City of Groesbeck, Texas". www.cityofgroesbeck.com. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  1. ^ 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.[22][23]
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