Freestone County, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Freestone County
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The Freestone County Courthouse in Fairfield
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Location within the U.S. state of Texas
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 Texas's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| Founded | 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)
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| • Total | 19,435 |
| • Density | 21.788/sq mi (8.412/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 17th |
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. Its county seat is Fairfield. The county was created in 1850 and organized the next year.
Contents
History
Native Americans
The farming Kichai band of the Caddoan Mississippian culture dates as far back as 200 BCE in the area. The Hernando de Soto expedition of 1541 resulted in violent encounters. Spanish and French missionaries brought smallpox, measles, malaria, and influenza epidemics against which the Caddo had no immunity. Eventually, the Caddo were forced to reservations.
The Tawakoni branch of Wichita Indians originated 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. Tawakoni were also sometimes known as Tehuacana.
County established
In 1826, empresario David G. Burnet received a grant from the Coahuila y Tejas legislature to settle 300 families. 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. 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. The county was organized in 1851. Fairfield became the county seat. Of the county's total 1860 population of 6,881, more than half (3,613) were slaves.
Freestone County voted 585–3 in favor of secession from the Union. While the loss of slave labor may have hurt the economy, by Reconstruction, the number of farms doubled.
The Houston and Texas Central Railway and the International – Great Northern Railroad skirted the county to the west and south in 1870, giving the local economy a boost. The Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway, laid track across the county in 1906, helping the growing economy.
When the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution took effect in 1920, banning the sale, manufacturing and transportation of alcoholic beverages for public consumption, until its repeal by the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1933, some enterprising individuals in Freestone followed a national trend and began bootlegging for profit. It put food on the table during a period when the local economy was in a downward slide.
In 1969, Texas Utilities Generating Company located a new power plant near Fairfield, creating many local jobs. A dam was built to create Fairfield Lake as a cooling system for the plant. Fairfield Lake State Park was opened to the public in 1972.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 892 square miles (2,310 km2), of which 878 square miles (2,270 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (1.6%) is water.
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. | %± | |
| 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 1850–2010 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| 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.
Communities
Cities
Towns
- Kirvin
- Oakwood (mostly in Leon County)
- Streetman (small part in Navarro County)
- Wortham
Unincorporated communities
Ghost town
Historic communities
Historic communities in Freestone County have included Baty, Beene, Blunt, Bonner, Bowling, Brewster, Butler, Cobb, Cotton Gin, Driver, Flowerdale, Freestone, Goetz, Harp, Israel, Ivory, Keechil, Lakeport, Lanely, Long Bottom, Luna, Mills, Milton, Morehead, Mount Zion, Pinoak, Pyburn, Shanks, St. Elmo, Starling, Steward's Mill, Stonewall, Troy, Turlington, Valota, Wakefield, West Point, Winkler, Yedell, Yerby, and Young. [1]
Notable residents
- 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.
Images for kids
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Old Freestone County Jail, Fairfield, Texas
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This cannon was taken at the Civil War battle of Val Verde. It is on the courthouse grounds
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Freestone para niños
