Terrell is a city in Kaufman County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 17,465. Terrell is located about east of

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

History

Terrell developed as a railroad town, beginning in 1873 with construction here of the

Texas and Pacific Railroad Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by b ...

line. The town was named for Robert A. Terrell, a pioneer

European-American European Americans (also referred to as Euro-Americans) are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes people who are descended from the first European settlers in the United States as well as people who are descended from more recent E ...

settler whose farm lay on its western edge. He built an octagonal house on his property, called a "Round House", to provide better defense against attacks by Native Americans. They had occupied this territory for thousands of years. His house was later fitted with the first glass windows in the county. The community was incorporated in 1875. The first automobile appeared in 1899. In 1892, Terrell was a

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminator ...

that largely prohibited African Americans from living there. The Terrell Military College was established in Terrell, operating until after World War II. Its campus was sited on part of the former Terrell farm and incorporated his historic Round House. In 1949 the Southern Bible Institute, based in Dallas and affiliated with the Churches of Christ, bought the military college property and transferred their operations here, renaming their institution Southwestern Christian College. It is a private,

historically black college Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. M ...

. The Round House has been preserved on campus, and is one of 20 such structures in the nation. The headquarters of the 3rd Battalion, 144th Infantry Regiment of the Texas Army National Guard was also located in Terrell.

Geography

Terrell is located in northern Kaufman County at (32.737525, –96.282444). U.S. Route 80 passes through the city center, leading west to Dallas and east to

Wills Point Wills Point is a city in Van Zandt County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,524 at the 2010 census. History Founded in 1873, Wills Point gets its name from an early American settler, William Wills, who had arrived in the area ''circa'' ...

. Interstate 20 passes through the south side of the city, leading west to Interstate 635 in the southeast suburbs of Dallas ( Balch Springs) and east to Canton.

Texas State Highway 34 State Highway 34 (SH 34) is a route that runs from Honey Grove to Italy just east of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. History SH 34 was originally proposed on November 19, 1917, starting in Ft. Worth travelling southeast to Ennis. On October 1 ...

passes through the east side of Terrell, leading northeast to Greenville and south to Kaufman, 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 ...

. 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 t ...

, Terrell has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.74%, are 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, notabl ...

system, Terrell has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "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 ...

, there were 17,465 people, 6,023 households, and 4,111 families residing in the city.

Arts and culture

British Flying Training School

During World War II, the No. 1 British Flying Training School (BFTS) was located in Terrell. It was the first of six civilian

flight school Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...

s in the United States dedicated to instructing British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) pilots during that war. This followed an international training concept similar to that previously implemented during World War I near Fort Worth at

Camp Taliaferro Camp Taliaferro was a World War I flight-training center run under the direction of the Air Service, United States Army in the Fort Worth, Texas, area. Camp Taliaferro had an administration center near what is now the Will Rogers Memorial Cen ...

. Terrell Municipal Airport hosts the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum, which has an extensive record of the school.No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum website
/ref> In 2000 the museum was instrumental in honoring four Royal Air Force airmen who died in a crash during World War II. The four, flying from Terrell, encountered difficulties over the

Kiamichi Mountains The Kiamichi Mountains (Choctaw: ''Nʋnih Chaha Kiamitia'') are a mountain range in southeastern Oklahoma. A subrange within the larger Ouachita Mountains that extend from Oklahoma to western Arkansas, the Kiamichi Mountains sit within Le Flore, ...

of Oklahoma. The AT6 Monument, whose dedication made international headlines with many from Terrell and the United Kingdom present, marks the spot of one of the crashes. City, state and even international dignitaries gathered in Terrell on Friday, September 16, 2011, to mark the opening of the new Major William F. Long Terminal Building.

World War II veterans reunion

The City of Terrell, in partnership with the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum, hosts an annual

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

veterans reunion and air event on the first Saturday of October. This event draws attendees from all over the world. It presents numerous attractions such as vintage aircraft and military vehicles, skydiving, flight simulators, lectures, films, and demonstrations, and activities for every member of the family. The reunion dinner and hangar dance is on Friday night, and the fly-in kicks off with a pancake breakfast on Saturday morning, followed by a ceremony and entertainment until the afternoon.

Terrell Jubilee

Terrell Jubilee, held the third weekend in April at Ben Gill Park, is a family celebration with a BBQ cook-off, museum tours, arts and crafts exhibition, carnival, live music, a quilt show, an auto show, and other attractions.

Education

Public school

The city is zoned to schools in Terrell Independent School District. * Terrell High School (Grades 9–12) * Herman Furlough, Jr. Middle School (Grades 6–8) * Dr. Bruce Wood Intermediate School (Grades K–5) Serving the West Side of Terrell * J.W. Long Elementary School (Grades K–5) Serving the East Side of Terrell * Gilbert Willie Sr. Elementary School (Grades K–5) * W.H. Burnett Early Childhood Center (Serving three- and four-year olds) In 2010, Terrell Independent School District voted to rezone the district into East and West for grades 3–6. The city is divided along Rockwall St. and then further down along a line with no specific boundary.

Colleges

Trinity Valley Community College Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a public community college based in Athens, Texas. It has four campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state. About TVCC operates four campuses serving the Texas co ...

operates the Kaufman County Campus in Terrell. Southwestern Christian College is a private,

affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It offers a four-year degree for ministerial studies, and two-year associate degrees in liberal arts and technical specialties.

Infrastructure

Health care

Terrell is the location of the Terrell State Hospital, a psychiatric inpatient hospital with 316 beds operated under the direction of the

Texas Department of State Health Services Texas Department of State Health Services is a state agency of Texas. The department was created by House Bill 2292 of the 78th Texas Legislature in 2003 through the merging of four state agencies: the Texas Department of Health, Texas Department ...

Notable people

* Harry Ables, baseball player * Betty Brown, politician * Louis Conradt, attorney *

Robert H. Dennard Robert Heath Dennard (born September 5, 1932) is an American electrical engineer and inventor. Biography Dennard was born in Terrell, Texas, U.S. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University, ...

, electrical engineer who invented DRAM and identified MOSFET scaling law (known as Dennard scaling) *

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

, two-time Grammy Award-winning musician and singer, and Academy Award-winning actor * Jimmy Harris, football defensive back and quarterback * Kenoy Kennedy, football safety * Brice McCain, football cornerback * Laci Mosley, actress * Cynthea Rhodes, a member of the

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

team in the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta * Randy Snow, tennis player *

C. J. Wilson Christopher John Wilson (born November 18, 1980) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional baseball pitcher. Wilson pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers from 2005 to 2011 and the Los Angeles Angel ...

, American football cornerback for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

, Chicago Bears, and

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...