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Lampasas ( ) is a city in
Lampasas County, Texas Lampasas County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,627. Its county seat is Lampasas. The county is named for the Lampasas River. Lampasas County is part of ...
, United States. Its population was 7,291 at the 2020 census. It is the
seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair, a chair ...
of Lampasas County. Lampasas is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood
metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...
.


History

For his services in the Texas Revolution, John Burleson received of land and established a permanent settlement in the 1850s. The city was first named Burleson, but the name was gradually changed to Lampasas Springs because of the existence of seven mineral springs. When the county was created in 1856, the law specified "The county seat shall be same name as the county." The city of Lampasas was officially incorporated in 1883. Several theories attempt to explain how the name Lampasas came to be. The ''
Texas Almanac The Texas Almanac is a biennially published reference work providing information for the general public on the history of the US state of Texas and its people, government and politics, economics, natural resources, holidays, culture, education, rec ...
'' states the word came from a Spanish word for "lilies" found in nearby streams. Another source states the word comes from the Spanish name ''Lampazos''. The name was given to the local river by the Spanish Aquayo Expedition in 1721. It is believed the name was inspired by a Mexican town that also had beautiful springs. The town was also the location of the birth of the Farmers' Alliance, founded in 1876. In the Mother's Day Flood of 1957, Sulphur Creek, a local river, struck the city in devastating flash flood that claimed five lives and destroyed many homes, businesses, and other property around downtown Lampasas. In the aftermath, a series of levees and reservoirs was constructed to prevent damage from future catastrophes. Since 1972, Lampasas has held an annual fair called the Spring Ho festival each Jul

Like nearby Mineral Wells, Texas, Mineral Wells, Lampasas has mineral springs health spas, which once claimed to cure "everything". The 25-bed Rollins Brook Community Hospital in Lampasas was established by two physicians in 1935: Herbert Bailey Rollins, originally from Pineville,
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, and W. M. Brooks. In 1958, Rollins Brook was the smallest accredited hospital in Texas. In 1981, Rollins was sold to a for-profit health-care provider in
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 ...
. Over the next decade, the hospital passed through a succession of owners. In 1991, the hospital declared bankruptcy and closed its doors without notice. Thereafter, citizens, unable to locate government or foundation grants, raised some $600,000 in community fund-raising activities to reclaim the facility. When it reopened on July 21, 1991, Rollins Brook became the only community hospital to survive bankruptcy. The story was broadcast by '' ABC News with
Peter Jennings Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings (July 29, 1938August 7, 2005) was a Canadian-born American television journalist who served as the sole anchor of ''ABC World News Tonight'' from 1983 until his death from lung cancer in 2005. He dropped o ...
''. In 1997, the hospital was sold again, this time to the
Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...
. In 2005, Rollins Brook opened a new surgical section.


Geography

Lampasas is located at (31.065868, –98.183444). The most notable waterway is Sulphur Creek, which flows from the southwest to the northeast through the south-central part of the city. 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 th ...
, the city has a total area of 6.3  square miles (16.1 km), of which of it (0.64%) is covered by water.


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, nota ...
, Lampasas 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''.


Demographics


2020 census

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 off ...
, there were 7,291 people, 2,900 households, and 1,782 families wereresiding in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
was 1,097.3 people per square mile (424.0/km). Of the 2,554 households, 33.7% had children under 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were not families. About 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54, and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the population was distributed as 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 84.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,898, and for a family was $31,012. Males had a median income of $26,606 versus $19,959 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $13,409. About 18.3% of families and 21.1% 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 28.5% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.


Notable people

*The
Horrell brothers The Horrell brothers, sometimes referred to as the lawless Horrell boys (''circa'' 1873–1878), were five brothers from the Horrell family of Lampasas County, Texas, who were outlaws of the Old West, and who committed numerous murders over a f ...
, outlaws of the
Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
* John Wesley "Lam" Jones, former sprinter (gold medal at the
1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...
) and NFL football player *
Dale McBride Dale McBride (December 18, 1936 – November 30, 1992) was an American country music singer. In the 1970s, he charted several singles on the ''Billboard'' country charts, including two Top 40 hits on the Con Brio Records label. His son is Ter ...
, country singer, songwriter * Terry McBride (McBride and the Ride), country singer, songwriter, son of Dale McBride *
Keith Null Keith Aaron Null (born September 24, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Texas A&M. Null was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and ...
, former American football quarterback * Stanley Walker, editor of ''New York Herald Tribune'' from 1928 to 1935


Education

The city of Lampasas is served by the
Lampasas Independent School District Lampasas Independent School District is a public school district based in Lampasas, Texas (USA) that serves about 3,350 students. In addition to Lampasas, the district also serves the city of Kempner and part of the Bend community. Located mos ...
.


References in pop culture

Lampasas is mentioned in the
Hank Williams, Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
-penned and recorded song " Texas Women". "Lampasas, Texas" is the title of the second episode of the
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
'' Trackdown'', starring
Robert Culp Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American actor widely known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on ''I Spy'' (1965–1968), the espionage television se ...
as Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman. The episode aired on October 11, 1957. In the story line, Gilman tries to block a town from carrying out the legal
lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...
of an innocent man.Billy Hathorn, "Roy Bean, Temple Houston, Bill Longley, Ranald Mackenzie, Buffalo Bill, Jr., and the Texas Rangers: Depictions of West Texans in Series Television, 1955 to 1967", '' West Texas Historical Review'', Vol. 89 (2013), p. 105 Lampasas is mentioned in Canadian singer
Ian Tyson Ian Dawson Tyson (September 25, 1933 – December 29, 2022) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who wrote several folk songs, including "Four Strong Winds" and " Someday Soon", and performed with partner Sylvia Tyson as the duo Ian & Sylvia. Ear ...
's song "Bob Fudge". In 2019, fellow Canadian singer
Colter Wall Colter Wall (born June 27, 1995) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for his deep, gruff baritone and narrative songwriting, Wall's music encompasses country, folk, and western styles. His self-titled debut album was released i ...
released a cover of "Bob Fudge".


References


External links

*
Lampasas County Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in Lampasas County, Texas County seats in Texas Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood metropolitan area