City in Texas, United States
Carthage
is a
city
and the
county seat
of
Panola County, Texas
,
[4]
United States. This city is situated in deep
East Texas
, 20 miles west of the
Louisiana
state line. Its population was 6,569 at the 2020 census.
History
[
edit
]
Carthage was founded in 1847, two years after Texas was admitted to the United States. During the
Civil War
, men from Carthage and Panola County served as Confederate soldiers. African-American resident
Milton M. Holland
, formerly enslaved, served as a Union sergeant and earned a
Medal of Honor
.
[5]
Carthage, Mississippi was established in 1834, and became the county seat. The Harris family were early settlers, and named the town after their former home of Carthage, Tennessee. When Carthage, Texas established in 1848, it was named after Carthage, Mississippi.
[6]
[
circular reference
]
After the Civil War, population growth was slow, but large amounts of cotton, corn, sweet potatoes, oats, and sugarcane were produced in the county. The city began to expand in 1888 when a railroad reached Carthage, along with telegraph and telephone lines.
[7]
During the
Great Depression
, a
gas field
was discovered near Carthage. After
World War II
, this gas field was developed and proved to be the largest in the United States. The city flourished, with the population increasing from about 1,300 to 5,000. During this period, a courthouse and a high school were built. In 1947
Panola County Junior College
was established in Carthage and founded
KGAS-AM 1590
which began broadcasting in 1955.
As a result of 19.6% population growth between 1970 and 1980, documented by U.S. Decennial Census; Panola General Hospital was established in 1997. Today the ETMC Carthage operates a 24-hour emergency department which is designated a Level IV trauma center by the state of Texas.
[8]
On August 22, 1998 the
Tex Ritter
Museum in Carthage was the site for the grand opening of the
Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
, honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to
country music
and born in the state of Texas.
On September 16, 1998
KGAS-FM
began broadcasting a
country music
format in Carthage, and was featured in
"Bernie"
, the 2011 American
biographical
black comedy
crime film
directed by
Richard Linklater
.
1996 murder of Marjorie Nugent
[
edit
]
After losing her husband, widow Marjorie Nugent, an 81-year-old resident of Carthage, became friends with Bernie Tiede, the assistant funeral director in town. In late 1996, townspeople did not see her, but thought perhaps she had moved to join her out-of-town family. When the family could not reach her, they filed a missing-person's report. Nine months after her death, her friend and companion, 39-year-old Bernie Tiede, was brought in for questioning by police and confessed to killing her. He claimed she had emotionally abused him.
[9]
[10]
He shot her four times in the back with a .22 rifle in November 1996. A mortician, he cleaned her body and placed it in a freezer in her house, where it was not discovered until 1997. Tiede continued his community activities for several months after her death. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. After a
habeas corpus
challenge, he was paroled on a $10,000 bond in 2014, but in 2016, Tiede had a resentencing hearing, and was sentenced to 99 years to life.
[9]
[10]
Panola County District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson said initially that few in the community questioned no longer seeing the elderly woman. He said, "That's what you do when you're a con guy and you move in. He had her cut all ties, so ultimately the only person she had to rely on was him. Mrs. Nugent was a human being. She didn't deserve her fate at the hands of Bernie." Tiede apparently killed the wealthy woman to get control of her money, spending an estimated $3 million of Nugent's $10 million. Davidson said Tiede used some of it for philanthropy: "He sent people to college. He donated to musicals, plays and bought instruments at the college. That was all done with Mrs. Nugent's money. After she was in the freezer, he really jumped out there as a benefactor."
[9]
An article about these events in
Texas Monthly
by Skip Hollandsworth was adapted for
Bernie
, a 2011
dark comedy
film which he co-wrote with director
Richard Linklater
. It starred
Jack Black
,
Shirley MacLaine
,
Matthew McConaughey
and was highly praised by
Hollywood
fans in the local community.
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, Carthage has a total area of 10.5 square miles (27 km
2
), of which 10.5 square miles (27 km
2
) are land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km
2
) (0.4%) is covered by water.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Koppen climate classification
, Carthage has a
humid subtropical climate
,
Cfa
on climate maps.
[11]
Climate data for Carthage, Texas (1991?2020 normals, extremes 1951?present)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °F (°C)
|
84
(29)
|
90
(32)
|
92
(33)
|
93
(34)
|
98
(37)
|
103
(39)
|
106
(41)
|
108
(42)
|
109
(43)
|
95
(35)
|
88
(31)
|
85
(29)
|
109
(43)
|
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)
|
56.8
(13.8)
|
61.4
(16.3)
|
68.8
(20.4)
|
76.0
(24.4)
|
82.8
(28.2)
|
89.3
(31.8)
|
92.4
(33.6)
|
93.1
(33.9)
|
87.4
(30.8)
|
78.0
(25.6)
|
66.6
(19.2)
|
58.9
(14.9)
|
76.0
(24.4)
|
Daily mean °F (°C)
|
46.5
(8.1)
|
50.4
(10.2)
|
57.5
(14.2)
|
64.7
(18.2)
|
72.8
(22.7)
|
79.8
(26.6)
|
82.8
(28.2)
|
82.8
(28.2)
|
76.7
(24.8)
|
66.3
(19.1)
|
55.6
(13.1)
|
48.5
(9.2)
|
65.4
(18.6)
|
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)
|
36.1
(2.3)
|
39.5
(4.2)
|
46.3
(7.9)
|
53.5
(11.9)
|
62.8
(17.1)
|
70.3
(21.3)
|
73.2
(22.9)
|
72.5
(22.5)
|
66.0
(18.9)
|
54.5
(12.5)
|
44.5
(6.9)
|
38.2
(3.4)
|
54.8
(12.7)
|
Record low °F (°C)
|
5
(?15)
|
4
(?16)
|
18
(?8)
|
28
(?2)
|
39
(4)
|
45
(7)
|
55
(13)
|
50
(10)
|
38
(3)
|
26
(?3)
|
12
(?11)
|
1
(?17)
|
1
(?17)
|
Average
precipitation
inches (mm)
|
4.66
(118)
|
4.23
(107)
|
4.92
(125)
|
4.72
(120)
|
4.35
(110)
|
4.04
(103)
|
3.64
(92)
|
3.44
(87)
|
3.67
(93)
|
4.54
(115)
|
4.44
(113)
|
5.63
(143)
|
52.28
(1,328)
|
Average snowfall inches (cm)
|
0.3
(0.76)
|
0.4
(1.0)
|
0.1
(0.25)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.0
(0.0)
|
0.8
(2.0)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.01 in)
|
8.5
|
8.3
|
8.3
|
6.3
|
7.4
|
7.5
|
5.4
|
5.7
|
5.8
|
6.0
|
7.3
|
8.9
|
85.4
|
Average snowy days
(≥ 0.1 in)
|
0.2
|
0.1
|
0.1
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.4
|
Source:
NOAA
[12]
[13]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1880
| 290
| | ?
|
---|
1890
| 554
| | 91.0%
|
---|
1920
| 1,366
| | ?
|
---|
1930
| 1,651
| | 20.9%
|
---|
1940
| 2,178
| | 31.9%
|
---|
1950
| 4,750
| | 118.1%
|
---|
1960
| 5,262
| | 10.8%
|
---|
1970
| 5,392
| | 2.5%
|
---|
1980
| 6,447
| | 19.6%
|
---|
1990
| 6,496
| | 0.8%
|
---|
2000
| 6,664
| | 2.6%
|
---|
2010
| 6,779
| | 1.7%
|
---|
2020
| 6,569
| | ?3.1%
|
---|
As of the
2020 United States census
, there were 6,569 people, 2,550 households, and 1,739 families residing in the city.
As of the
census
[2]
of 2010, 6,779 people, 2,628 households, and 1,745 families resided in the city. The
population density
was 645.6 people per mi
2
(249.2/km
2
). The 2,909 housing units averaged 277.0 per mi
2
(106.9/km
2
). The
racial makeup
of the city was 69.5% White, 21.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 6.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 11.0% of the population.
Of the 2,628 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were not families. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the age distribution was 24.6% under 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.
As of the 2000 Census, the
median income
for a household in the city was $31,822, and for a family was $37,031. Males had a median income of $33,080 versus $21,473 for females. The
per capita income
for the city was $16,332. About 11.8% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
Culture and arts
[
edit
]
The
Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
is located in Carthage, which also houses the
Tex Ritter
Museum. The
Jim Reeves
Memorial is located on the outskirts of Carthage, east on
U.S. 79
. Reeves and Ritter were from the nearby
unincorporated communities
of Galloway and
Murvaul
, respectively.
Education
[
edit
]
The City of Carthage services the
Carthage Independent School District
as well as the two-year
community college
of
Panola College
located adjacent Carthage City Hall.
Media
[
edit
]
Carthage is served by two local radio stations:
KGAS 1590 AM
and
KGAS 104.3 FM
, and by a local newspaper,
The Panola Watchman
. The nearest media market of notable size is in nearby
Shreveport, Louisiana
.
Notable people
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 7,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
"US Board on Geographic Names"
.
United States Geological Survey
. October 25, 2007
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
"Find a County"
. National Association of Counties. Archived from
the original
on May 31, 2011
. Retrieved
June 7,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"BLACK SOLDIER WAS FIRST NATIVE TEXAN TO RECEIVE MEDAL OF HONOR"
.
Texas Almanac
.
Texas State Historical Association
. Retrieved
January 3,
2018
.
- ^
"Carthage, Mississippi"
.
- ^
O'Neal, Bill (2009).
Images of America: Carthage
. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 7?8.
ISBN
978-0-7385-7112-6
.
- ^
"ETMC Carthage - ETMC"
.
ETMC
. Archived from
the original
on October 21, 2017
. Retrieved
October 20,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
Perry, Ryan.
"The Killer Inside Him: The Bernie Tiede Story"
.
Behance
.
- ^
a
b
Hollandsworth, Skip (January 1998).
"Midnight in the Garden of East Texas"
.
Texas Monthly
. Retrieved
April 5,
2016
.
- ^
Climate Summary for Carthage, Texas
- ^
"NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data"
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
August 21,
2021
.
- ^
"Station: Carthage, TX"
.
U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)
. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
August 21,
2021
.
- ^
"Census of Population and Housing"
. Census.gov
. Retrieved
June 4,
2015
.
- ^
"Explore Census Data"
.
data.census.gov
. Retrieved
May 25,
2022
.
- ^
"About the Hispanic Population and its Origin"
.
www.census.gov
. Retrieved
May 18,
2022
.
- ^
Williams, Edgar (March 2, 1984).
"Abortion foe turns to politics"
.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
. p. 3–B
. Retrieved
July 3,
2018
– via Newspapers.com (Publisher Extra).
- ^
"NEAL, MARGIE ELIZABETH"
.
tshaonline.org
. Retrieved
September 14,
2015
.
- ^
"Texas Historical Marker ? Margie Neal"
.
9key.com
. Archived from
the original
on November 1, 2015
. Retrieved
September 14,
2015
.
- ^
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.
[16]
External links
[
edit
]
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