Morris County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located near the eastern border of 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 sove ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. As of the 2010 census, its population was 11,973. Its

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 ...

is Daingerfield. Morris County is probably named for William Wright Morris, an early judge and planter from

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

, also in northeast Texas. As of 2016, Morris County is no longer one of six prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas. Morris County is now "partially wet."

History

In the nineteenth century, this area was settled primarily by European-American planters and farmers, many of whom brought enslaved African Americans with them or purchased others to work as laborers on the cotton plantations they developed. Cotton was most important, but farmers also cultivated other commodity crops before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Eastern Texas was the region of the state with the highest number and proportion of slaves. The area has continued to be mostly rural and agricultural. In the 21st century, African Americans comprise a significant minority in the county.

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.6%) is water. It is the fifth-smallest county in Texas by land area and fourth-smallest by total area.

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * *

Adjacent counties

* Bowie County (north) * Cass County (east) * Marion County (southeast) * Upshur County (south) * Camp County (southwest) * Titus County (west) *

Red River County Red River County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, its population was 11,587. Its county seat is Clarksville. The county was created in 1835 and organized in 1837. It is named for the Red River, which forms its n ...

(northwest)

Communities

Cities

* Daingerfield (county seat) *

Hughes Springs Hughes Springs is a city in Cass and Morris counties in the U.S. state of Texas. At the 2020 census, its population was 1,575. The town has heavily damaged by an EF2 tornado on November 4, 2022. Geography Hughes Springs is located in western Ca ...

(mostly in Cass County) * Lone Star * Omaha

Town

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Unincorporated community

* Cason * Jenkins

Demographics

''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.'' As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 13,048 people, 5,215 households, and 3,749 families residing in the county. In 2020, its population was 11,973. 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 RosenberPopul ...

was 51 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 6,017 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 71.71%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 24.13%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.53% Native American, 0.18%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 2.28% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.12% from two or more races; 3.66% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 5,215 households, out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% were married couples living together, 14.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.95. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.20% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,011, and the median income for a family was $35,326. Males had a median income of $30,917 versus $20,270 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 county was $15,612. About 14.90% of families and 18.30% 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 t ...

, including 25.40% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The following school districts serve Morris County: * Daingerfield-Lone Star ISD (small portion in Titus County) * Hughes Springs ISD (mostly in Cass County) * Pewitt CISD (small portions in Titus and Cass counties) Morris County is also served by the

Northeast Texas Community College Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC) is a public community college near Mount Pleasant, Texas. History In January 1984, the voters of Camp, Morris, and Titus counties approved a community college district for the area. The campus (centrally ...

, whose main campus is in southeastern Titus County, but it has a small satellite campus in

Politics

Morris County was a longtime Democratic stronghold, like many rural Southern counties were in the Jim Crow and immediate post-Jim Crow eras. (It only voted for a Republican in 1972.) The 2000 election was the last time the county voted in favor of a Democratic presidential nominee.

References

External links

Morris County website
* {{Coord, 33.12, -94.73, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TX_source:UScensus1990 1875 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1875