Hemphill, Texas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Hemphill, Texas
City
Hemphill, June 2017
Location of Hemphill, Texas

Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Sabine
Area
• Total	2.55 sq mi (6.60 km²)
• Land	2.54 sq mi (6.58 km²)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km²)
Elevation	266 ft (81 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,029
• Density	489.96/sq mi (189.19/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	75948
Area code(s)	409
FIPS code	48-33188
GNIS feature ID	2410739

Hemphill is a city in Sabine County, Texas, United States. It is the main town and the county seat of Sabine County. This means it's where the county government offices are located. In 2020, about 1,029 people lived there.

Hemphill is found along State Highway 87 and State Highway 184. It is surrounded by the beautiful Sabine National Forest and the large Toledo Bend Reservoir.

History of Hemphill
Geography of Hemphill
People of Hemphill
Education in Hemphill
Fun and Recreation
Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
Climate
Photo gallery
See also

History of Hemphill

In 1858, people living in Sabine County decided to move their county seat. They moved it from Milam to a more central spot in the county. The new town was planned out the next year, and a post office opened.

The town was named after John Hemphill. He was an important judge and legal expert in early Texas. Later, he became a United States senator.

At first, Hemphill was in a good central location. However, it was hard to get to because it wasn't on the Sabine River or near any train tracks. In 1912, the Lufkin, Hemphill and Gulf Railway finally brought trains to Hemphill. This railway also helped nearby lumber companies. But after the trees were used up, the sawmills closed. By 1938, the train line was no longer used.

Geography of Hemphill

Hemphill covers about 2.4 square miles (6.2 square kilometers) of land. Only a very small part of it is water.

Did you know that Hemphill is 484 miles away from Hemphill County? This is the largest distance between a city and a county in Texas that have the same name!

People of Hemphill

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1930	731	—
1940	739	1.1%
1950	972	31.5%
1960	913	−6.1%
1970	1,005	10.1%
1980	1,353	34.6%
1990	1,182	−12.6%
2000	1,106	−6.4%
2010	1,198	8.3%
2020	1,029	−14.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

**Hemphill racial composition as of 2020**
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race	Number	Percentage
White (NH)	780	75.8%
Black or African American (NH)	116	11.27%
Native American or Alaska Native (NH)	3	0.29%
Asian (NH)	16	1.55%
Some Other Race (NH)	2	0.19%
Mixed/Multi-Racial (NH)	35	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino	77	7.48%
Total	1,029

In 2020, there were 1,029 people living in Hemphill. There were 469 households, which are groups of people living together. About 313 of these households were families.

The people in Hemphill are of different backgrounds. Most residents are White, with significant African American and Hispanic or Latino communities.

Education in Hemphill

Students in Hemphill attend schools that are part of the Hemphill Independent School District.

Fun and Recreation

The areas around Hemphill are great for outdoor fun! Many visitors come during the summer to enjoy the nearby Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn lakes. These lakes are perfect for fishing, boating, and other water activities.

Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster

In February 2003, a sad event happened when the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over Texas. Hemphill and the areas nearby became very important search zones. Teams looked for pieces of the shuttle and its crew members. They found some important parts, including a special recorder, near Hemphill.

A memorial has been built in Hemphill to remember the brave astronauts who lost their lives. You can find it where Highway 87 North and Highway 83 East meet.

On February 1, 2011, exactly eight years after the disaster, the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA "Remembering Columbia" Museum opened in Hemphill. It's in a new building next to the J.R. Huffman Public Library. The museum is named after the wife of Al Smith, who gave most of the money to build it. The museum has a special exhibit called "NASA Remembering Columbia." It includes items given by local families who helped with the search. There are also items from the astronauts' families and official materials from NASA, which runs the museum.