Coldspring is a city in

San Jacinto County, Texas San Jacinto County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 27,402. Its county seat is Coldspring. The county's name comes from the Battle of San Jacinto which secured Texas' independence from Mexi ...

, United States. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of San Jacinto County, which is named after the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

that traverses it and shares its name with the

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

that gave Texas its independence. The population was 819 at the 2020 census.

History

The history of Coldspring is linked to Stephen F. Austin's first colony in Texas, which established, among other locales, San Jacinto County. Austin's original colony extended to the Trinity River watershed (roughly along Texas 156 toward

Point Blank Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm or gun can hit a target without the need to elevate the barrel to compensate for bullet drop, i.e. the gun can be pointed horizontally at the target. For targets beyond-blank range ...

). After receiving a commission from the Mexican government to settle the town, Joseph Vehlein, a German immigrant to Mexico, deeded to Robert Rankin, an American Revolutionary officer. This acreage included the site of Coldspring. The settlement of Cold Springs (old spelling) began around 1850. In 1848, there had existed only a nearby trading post called "Coonskin" (later, "Fireman's Hill"). Coldspring had developed into a bustling county-seat town by 1915, but disaster struck on March 30, 1915 when the wooden courthouse burned, thus removing the economic foundation of the town. Plans for a new courthouse were made, and the present building was completed in 1918. The townspeople then moved their buildings to be closer to the new courthouse. In 1983, San Jacinto County sheriff James Cecil "Humpy" Parker was convicted of six

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

abuses of suspects using the form of torture called

waterboarding Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience the sensation of drowning. In the most common method of waterboard ...

and was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. However, he served fewer than five before his medical release due to

brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...

; he died in 1994. Parker's son and deputy, Gary, was convicted in 1984 of

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

to violate suspects' rights. These incidents were incorporated into a

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

by Steven Sellers, ''Terror on Highway 59'' in 1984, which in turn was made into a

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

movie, ''Terror on Highway 91'' (1989), starring

Ricky Schroder Richard Bartlett Schroder (born April 13, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. As a child actor billed as Ricky Schroder he debuted in the film '' The Champ'' (1979), for which he became the youngest Golden Globe award recipient, and went o ...

Geography

Coldspring is located at (30.588194, –95.133262).

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 ...

, the fifth largest metropolitan center in the United States, is approximately to Coldspring's south. 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 city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 819 people, 387 households, and 197 families residing in the city. As of 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, 691 people, 263 households, and 180 families were living in the city. The population density was . The 313 housing units averaged 170 per square mile (65.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 66.28% White, 31.40% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.58% Asian, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.18% of the population. Of the 263 households, 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were not families. About 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was distributed as 27.8% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,083, and the median income for a family was $30,729. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $23,750 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 city was $16,777. About 19.7% of families and 19.6% 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 18.9% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

The

town square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

hosts antique stores, art studios, and restaurants. More than 35 historical markers are placed throughout the town. Also of historical significance are the Historic Heritage Center, Old Town Coldspring, the 1887 Jail Museum, and the oldest continuously active

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

in Texas, which had been established in 1848. About 25 golf courses are within a radius of Coldspring. Nearby,

Lake Livingston Lake Livingston is a reservoir located in Piney Woods in Houston, Madison, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties in east Texas, United States. Lake Livingston was built and is owned and operated by the Trinity River Authority (TR ...

and

Sam Houston National Forest The Sam Houston National Forest, one of four National Forests in Texas, is located 50 miles north of Houston. The forest is administered together with the other three United States National Forests and two National Grasslands located entirely i ...

's Double Lake Recreational Area offer opportunities for camping, hiking, fishing, and water skiing.

Education

The City of Coldspring is served by the Coldspring-Oakhurst Consolidated Independent School District.
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References

{{authority control Cities in Texas Cities in San Jacinto County, Texas County seats in Texas Greater Houston