Elkhart is a town in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, in Anderson County. Named for a friendly Native American who assisted the early settlers of the area, Elkhart's population was 1,250 at the time of March, 3, 2024

History

The history of Elkhart starts with Daniel Parker's Pilgrim Predestinarian Baptist Church. It was formed in

Crawford County, Illinois Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,679. Its county seat is Robinson. History Crawford County was formed in the Illinois Territory on December 31, 1816, out of Edwa ...

in 1833, because the government of Mexico would not allow the Baptist church's organization within their borders. Daniel, and his father John Parker, led their congregation to Texas, settling in

Austin's Colony Austins was a department store in the Diamond area of Derry in Northern Ireland. The store was established in 1830 and, until 2016, remained standing as the world's oldest independent department store. The building measures and is five stories ...

in 1834. While John Parker's group settled and established Fort Parker (Limestone County), Daniel's group settled first in the territory that became Grimes County and later moved to the area around Fort Houston (Anderson County). Daniel Parker spent his time traveling and preaching in the homes of his scattered congregation. In 1836, the threats of General Santa Anna's troops in April 1836, and the attack of Fort Parker in May 1836 sent the remnant of John Parker's group to seek protection near Fort Houston. The Pilgrim Church resumed meetings in February 1837, and resolved in 1839 to build a church house, selecting 2.5 acres "on the north side of the bluff of the Harrison Fork of Bayou Blue near Daniel Parker's house". They constructed a log house and cleared a burial ground where Daniel Parker was buried in 1844. The church, now called Old Pilgrim Church, which has been replaced several times since the first log house, was the center of the community called Parker's Settlement, or just Pilgrim. About the same time Parker's followers were getting established, the first Methodist sermon was given by Rev. William Stevenson, whose members built their church about 1840, one mile west of Pilgrim Baptist Church. The community was granted a post office in March 1850, named Elkheart (later changed to Elkhart) which was located four miles south of Elkhart's current position, and named for a Native who had helped the early settlers. As the

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

rail was being finished in 1872, Elkhart shifted north to the train depot, and thus began to be considered the "railroad village" associated with the Parker settlement.

Geography

Elkhart is located in southern Anderson County. U.S. Route 287 passes through the town, leading north to

, the county seat, south to Grapeland, and south to Crockett, the seat of Houston County. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,287 people, 453 households, and 316 families residing in the town. At the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,215 people, 473 households, and 321 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 532 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 89.05%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 8.15%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.41% Native American, 0.82% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.05% of the population. In 2020, its population was 1,287. Among the population in 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup remained predominantly

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

, though Black or African Americans were the second largest group. The median income for a household in the town was $25,927, and the median income for a family was $33,977 in 2000. Males had a median income of $27,841 versus $21,705 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $13,809. About 12.9% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 32.5% of those age 65 or over. In 2020, its median household income was $37,159, and 19.9% of its population lived at or below the poverty line.

Education

The town of Elkhart is served by the

Elkhart Independent School District Elkhart Independent School District is a public school district based in Elkhart, Texas (USA). The district is located in southwest Anderson County and extends into northern Houston County. A small portion of the district extends to the ci ...

Notable people

* F. Tillman Durdin, journalist *

Tye Sheridan Tye Kayle Sheridan (born November 11, 1996) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in Terrence Malick's experimental drama film ''The Tree of Life (film), The Tree of Life'' (2011) and had his first leading role in Jeff Nichols's ...

, actor * Jeff Wilson, NFL running back for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

References

External links

Entry in the Handbook of Texas Online
{{authority control Towns in Anderson County, Texas