Hallettsville is a city in
Lavaca County, Texas
Lavaca County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 20,337. Its county seat is Hallettsville. The county was created in 1846. It is named for the Lavaca River, which curves its way southe ...
, United States. Its population was 2,731 at the 2020 census. It is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Lavaca County.
Hallettsville also has a sizable German-Texan population as the towns founders were mainly German and Czech immigrants.
History
Hallettsville is named for an early founding family that colonized this area. John Hallett had received a land grant from
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...
in 1831, and after his death in 1836, his wife, Margaret Hallett, donated the land for the town's location.
A few of the early settlers of the Hallettsville area include Collatinus Ballard, M. B. Bennett, A. W. Hicks, David Ives, Ira McDaniel, and
William Smeathers
William "Bill" Smeathers ( 1767 – August 13, 1837), also known as Smithers or Smothers, was a pioneer settler of Kentucky and later Texas.
Not much is known about his early days. He is believed to have been born in either Pennsylvania, Virginia ...
.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , all of it land. It is also located midway between the major cities of
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
and
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Hallettsville has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, 2,731 people, 984 households, and 551 families were residing in the city.
As of the census
of 2000, 2,345 people, 1,019 households, and 627 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,051.0 people per square mile (406.0/km
2). The 1,223 housing units had an average density of 548.1 per square mile (211.8/km
2). The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the city was 77.10% White, 16.46% Black, 0.17% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 4.48% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 11.17% of the population.
Of the 1,019 households, 29.9% had children under 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were not families. About 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,089, and for a family was $38,080. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $20,365 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,811. About 16.4% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.0% of those under 18 and 14.5% of those 65 or over.
Arts and culture
![Hallettsville TX Library](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Hallettsville_TX_Library.jpg)
Hallettsville is a center of the traditional domino game
Texas 42
42, also known as Texas 42, is a trick-taking game played with a standard set of double six dominoes. 42 is often referred to as the "state game of Texas". Tournaments are held in many towns, and the State Championship tournament is held annual ...
. It is home to the Texas Championship Domino Hall of Fame and also hosts a state-championship tournament every year in January, and a state-championship Texas 42 domino tournament in March.
Hallettsville also has the Central Texas Semipro Baseball Hall of Fame and the Texas State Championship High School Rodeo Hall of Fame. It also hosts its annual Kolache Fest the last weekend in September and State Championship Fiddler's Frolic on the last Saturday in April
The Friench Simpson Memorial Library has served the residents of Hallettsville and Lavaca County for over 70 years. The modern library houses over 20,000 volumes and is a major source of local history and genealogy research for the area. Public-access computers with Internet connections are available for use at the library.
Education
![Hallettsville TX High School](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Hallettsville_TX_High_School.jpg)
Public education in the city of Hallettsville is provided by the
Hallettsville Independent School District
Hallettsville Independent School District is a public school district based in Hallettsville, Texas ( USA).
Located in Lavaca County, very small portions of the district extend into Colorado and Jackson counties.
In 2009, the school distric ...
.
Sacred Heart Catholic School, a private prekindergarten–grade 12 campus, is also located in the city.
Media
* ''Hallettsville Tribune-Herald''
Notable people
*
Logan Ondrusek
Logan Jared Ondrusek (born February 13, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Ba ...
, pitcher for the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
*
Andy Rice, American college and professional football player
*
Cole Wick
Cole Wick (born November 30, 1993) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at the Incarnate Word Cardinals football, University of the Incarnate Word.
Early years
Wick is from Hallettsville, Texas. He pl ...
, American college and professional football player
In popular culture
Although the actual town involved in the real story of the "Chicken Ranch" is located a few miles north of Hallettsville on Highway 77, film makers chose the town's historic Lavaca County Courthouse square to serve as backdrop for the city scenes in ''
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange ...
'', the 1982 musical starring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton.
Hallettsville is also the featured location in the 2009 horror film titled ''Hallettsville'', which stars
Gary Busey
Gary Busey (; born 1944) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in ''The Buddy Holly Story'' (1978), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won the National Society of Film Critics ...
and
Derek Lee Nixon
Derek Lee Nixon is an American actor and producer. He grew up in Texas and gained notoriety in 2002 after starring in Mary-Kate and Ashley's, '' When in Rome'' and in several Hollywood films, including '' Hallettsville'' (with Gary Busey), '' ...
.
The town is mentioned in the
Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen (born January 11, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and entertainer. Debuting with 1984's ''No Kinda Dancer'', the Houston native has recorded 20 full-length albums for both independent and major record labels. His songs ha ...
song "Armadillo Jackel" as the place where they pay $2.50 for dead armadillos.
''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' once called Hallettsville the "13 City" because in 1913 it had 13 letters in the name, a population of 1300, 13 churches, 13 newspapers, and even 13 saloons.
The town is also visited by
Antoine de Maximy for the French TV show ''J'irais dormir chez vous'' (in English ''I'll Come Sleep in Your House''), during his journey in the United States.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Cities in Lavaca County, Texas
Cities in Texas
County seats in Texas
Czech-American culture in Texas