Town in Texas, United States
City in Texas, United States
Groesbeck
is a city in and the
county seat
of
Limestone County, Texas
, United States.
[3]
Its population was 3,631 at the 2020 census. The community is named after a railroad employee.
History
[
edit
]
The city of Groesbeck was dedicated as a township by Houston and Texas Central Railroad in 1869. It was named for Abram Groesbeeck, a railroad director of the
Houston & Texas Central Railroad Company
.
[4]
The difference in spelling between the person and town is a result of the post office directives for simpler spelling.
[5]
Development of its city government began in 1871. Groesbeck became the county seat of Limestone County in 1873, and is home to the "Million Dollar Courthouse".
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. 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.
[6]
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).
[7]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km
2
), of which 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km
2
) 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
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1880
| 402
| | ?
|
---|
1890
| 663
| | 64.9%
|
---|
1900
| 1,462
| | 120.5%
|
---|
1910
| 1,454
| | ?0.5%
|
---|
1920
| 1,522
| | 4.7%
|
---|
1930
| 2,059
| | 35.3%
|
---|
1940
| 2,272
| | 10.3%
|
---|
1950
| 2,182
| | ?4.0%
|
---|
1960
| 2,498
| | 14.5%
|
---|
1970
| 2,396
| | ?4.1%
|
---|
1980
| 3,373
| | 40.8%
|
---|
1990
| 3,185
| | ?5.6%
|
---|
2000
| 4,291
| | 34.7%
|
---|
2010
| 4,328
| | 0.9%
|
---|
2020
| 3,631
| | ?16.1%
|
---|
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/km
2
). The 1,473 housing units averaged 336.8/s mi (130/km
2
). 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%.
[8]
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.
[12]
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.
[13]
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
]
- Joe Don Baker
, actor, was born in Groesbeck in 1936
- Larry Dossey
, physician, was born Groesbeck in 1940
- Lafayette L. Foster
, President of the A&M College of Texas, politician, and journalist, lived and was elected in Groesbeck
- Clay Hammond
, R&B singer and songwriter, was born in Groesbeck in 1936
- John E. Hatley
, a former master sergeant in the United States Army, is serving a 40-year sentence in the Fort Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks for the murder of four Iraqi detainees. He attended high school in Groesbeck
- Lenoy Jones
, a National Football League (NFL) player, played for Groesbeck High School
- Garland Roark
, author (
Wake of the Red Witch
), born in Groesbeck
- Kenneth Sims
, first overall selection in the
1982 NFL Draft
, inducted into
College Football Hall of Fame
Class of 2021, played for Groesbeck High School
- Frankie Smith
, an NFL player, played for Groesbeck High School
- John Westbrook
was the first African American to play football in the
Southwest Conference
; he was born in Groesbeck in 1947
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 7,
2020
.
- ^
"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
.
- ^
"GROESBECK, TX | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)"
. Tshaonline.org
. Retrieved
January 17,
2020
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
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
.
- ^
"US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990"
.
United States Census Bureau
. February 12, 2011
. Retrieved
April 23,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Census of Population and Housing"
. Census.gov
. Retrieved
June 4,
2015
.
- ^
"Explore Census Data"
.
data.census.gov
. Retrieved
May 25,
2022
.
- ^
https://www.census.gov/
[
not specific enough to verify
]
- ^
"About the Hispanic Population and its Origin"
.
www.census.gov
. Retrieved
May 18,
2022
.
- ^
"City of Groesbeck, Texas"
.
www.cityofgroesbeck.com
. Retrieved
June 18,
2022
.
- ^
"City of Groesbeck, Texas"
.
www.cityofgroesbeck.com
. Retrieved
June 18,
2022
.
- ^
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.
[10]
[11]
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