Groesbeck, Texas

Groesbeck ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, Texas, United States. Located along Texas State Highway 14 and Texas State Highway 164, it sits in the northern part of the Texas Triangle. Its population was 3,631 at the 2020 census.

History

The Tawakoni, who are part of the Wichita people, are attested living between the Trinity and Brazos Rivers since at least 1768.

European colonization

Limestone county was a part of the Empresario grants given out by the government of Coahuila y Tejas, with Haden Edwards given permission to settle an area including most of Limestone County in 1825, but the Mexican government legally forbade Anglo-Americans from settling into Mexican Texas after the Law of April 6, 1830. Settlement continued however, including in 1833 when a group of Anglos from Illinois settled Fort Parker, the earliest known European settlement in the vicinity. Numerous Mexican and Anglo settlers made land claims in the area before 1836. After 1836, due in part to the Fort Parker massacre and ongoing violence in between settlers and natives in Limestone county, the newly established Republic of Texas forbade new settlement until the Treaty of Tehuacana Creek in 1844. In the mid 1840s, two more towns were founded before on April 11, 1846, Limestone county was formed from Robertson's Colony, with Springfield being named county seat. As of 1860 there was a population of 3,464 whites, 1,072 slaves, and a free black woman. In 1861, 98% of voters in Limestone county voted to secede and join the Confederate States of America.

Fort Parker

Fort Parker State Park, located north of Groesbeck, is preserved to tell the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was captured by Comanches, and became the mother of Quanah Parker, the last Comanche chief.

Reconstruction

After the Civil War, in June 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation was read from the front porch of the largest slaveholder in the county, Logan Stroud, who held over 150 people in bondage. Four future African-American Texas legislators were freed in Limestone county that day, Ralph Long, Sheppard Mullins, and David Medlock Jr. and Giles Cotton who were both freed from Stroud's estate.
:"Ecstasy! Banjos twanged as couples danced and women laughed and children shouted. Grown men wept and jubilation reigned. Release! Liberty! Deliverance!"

Juneteenth has been celebrated since then in Booker T. Washington park along Lake Mexia, with early crowds reaching 20,000 as they listened to passionate speeches by local preachers and politicians. Separately, white veterans of the Civil War began their own summer gathering nearby at Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site, with theirs peaking at 5,000 in attendance.

During the Reconstruction era, Limestone county experienced heightened racial tensions. In June 1867 Limestone County was assigned a Freedmen's Bureau agent who was shot and killed within 6 months of his arrival.https://www.shsu.edu/dotAsset/c0ac2b23-8d71-4de2-af31-5bceef4798d8.pdf In October 1872, a Mexican man, accused of theft, was lynched by several vigilantes in Groesbeck.

Groesbeck Riot of 1871

On September 30, 1871 in Groesbeck, two black police officers went to arrest a white man committing a crime, when the white man pulled out a gun, and was then shot and killed in a firefight. The police officers, understanding the immediate threat to their lives, fled to the mayor's office. Soon, after the town had gathered around the scene, a man rode in on horseback claiming there were "one-hundred armed blacks" heading towards Groesbeck. The mayor, Adolph Zadek, was threatened with his life by a mob of armed whites to call all citizens to arms and to issue arrest warrants for the two black officers. Shortly after, the mob appointed a new mayor and used their new-found authority to expropriate 30 weapons from a local store. At this point the mob numbered about 600-800 men. The two black police officers escaped the mob, but were arrested the next morning and put under the protection of the state guard. Blacks were prevented from voting in Limestone County during this period due to threats of violence, but this was especially relevant in the election of 1871, which occurred just a few days later on October 3.
:"Words had passed through the county that Blacks and epublicanswould be killed if they attempted to vote. Blacks who did go to the polls were told to go home."
Communication with the capitol was slow since riotous citizens cut the telegraph lines.

Having finally heard news of what was taking place, Governor Edmund J. Davis petitioned the US Department of War for aid, and General John F. Reynolds personally responded. Governor Davis also placed Limestone county under martial law and sent the State Police Captain and a Major General commanding a combined force of hundreds of armed men, although by the time they arrived, the elections had passed. The state faced resistance from local officials, but the rioting was calmed by this show of force. On November 6 the Texas House of Representatives voted that the declaration of martial law was illegal, and civil authority was restored on November 9, 1871.

Early days

The Houston & Texas Central Railway Company extended from Houston to Groesbeck by the end of 1870. Groesbeck was incorporated in April 1871 and by the end of 1872 Groesbeck had rail connections to Waco and Dallas, and trains on the way from St. Louis to Houston began passing through in 1880. Springfield was bypassed by the railroad and the courthouse burned down in 1873, so Groesbeck was made county seat in 1874. Railroads in the late 19th century were a booming industry. The end of reconstruction and the advent of the railroad began an era of growth for the county. The population in Limestone County was 9,000 in 1870, and 32,000 in 1900. Groesbeck itself grew from 663 to 1,462 between 1890 and 1900.

Discovery of oil and natural gas

In 1912, natural gas was discovered in the Mexia-Groesbeck area, and it was soon speculated that it may be possible to also find oil in the area. In October 1920, Col. A.E. Humphreys completed an oil well began by the Mexia Oil and Gas Company and discovered oil at a depth of 3100 feet.https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=fondrenscienceseries A proper well was set up and producing 4000 barrels a day by the summer of 1921. The discovery was notable because it was the first discovery of oil fields formed by the Cenomanian-era Woodbine Group geologic formation. This encouraged future exploration in the Woodbine sand, leading to the discovery of many other Woodbine fields, including the giant East Texas Oil Field, which was discovered in 1930. By January 1922, $5 million had been invested in Mexia and 5 million barrels of oil had been extracted. On January 12, martial law was declared for the second time in Limestone county history due to:
:Open and flagrant violation of the law, highway robberies, open gambling and selling of liquor.
The oil discovery brought wealth to the area, but in Groesbeck natural gas was more commonly extracted due to the lack of suitable oil deposits. After 1922 however, production of oil and natural gas declined rapidly. By 1927 most of the heavy oil extraction was finished in Limestone county, but the formations remain useful for paleobiologists.

The oil boom led to many trusses being built in the area. This type of bridge, popular among Texans in the early 20th century, is a rare sight now. Seven trusses, all built in the 1920s, survive in their original locations in Limestone county as of 2025.

The Great Depression

The Great Depression had a major effect on Groesbeck. In 1930, the population of Limestone county had reached its peak of nearly 40,000, and there were over 6,000 farms. By 1940 however, that had fallen to 34,000 people and 3,400 farms, and the number of businesses was cut in half. The Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration helped ease unemployment, and built Fort Parker State Park.

Post War Years

In 1960 the population of Groesbeck was 2,500. The housing situation was critical since over 55% of citizens were low-income, and there were only 34 vacant housing units. In 1962 the Groesbeck Housing Authority was created by mayor George Koch, and the city began plans to construct low-income housing. In August of 1964, the Groesbeck Housing Authority approved plans for Liberty Village and Liberty Square apartments, affordable housing units that were built on opposite ends of town.
:“We are building the housing units because we have many citizens who are living in substandard housing. We have many retired people and other old-age citizens who are virtually living in slum areas.” - Mayor George Koch
The project was finished with 12 units in July 1965, and it was revealed that a policy of segregation was used in selecting tenants. The exact date of desegregation is not know, but it likely happened in response to the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The apartments were successful at housing elderly and low-income individuals, so the apartments were expanded and 15 more units finished construction in 1973. Both sites still function as government housing.

In August 1966, a team sent by the federal HEW Department investigated Groesbeck ISD and found they had maintained a segregated school system for 12 years after Brown v. Board of Education, and that facilities in the all-white school were "vastly superior." Within 2 weeks of federal intervention, 22 black students transferred within the district. Longtime district superintendent H.O. Whitehurst resigned the same year, after 35 years. Full integration was not achieved until the 1969-70 school year. The 1969 class of Washington High School was the last segregated graduating class in Groesbeck.

In 1979, NRG Energy proposed construction of a $1.6 billion coal-burning power plant near Groesbeck. It finished construction in 1985. The power plant increased the tax base and brought many jobs to Groesbeck. Between 1985 and 1989, Groesbeck ISD spent $18 million constructing a new elementary and a high school, and in 1991 the high school football team went undefeated and claimed the AAA Championship. After 1993, the Texas Legislature enacted the Robin Hood plan, which redistributes the taxes earned from the power plant more equitably across Texas school districts.

Geography

Groesbeck is located at (31.522907, –96.532125).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are almost all land (0.27% covered by water).

The community is located at the junction of State Highways 14 and 164.

Groesbeck is the closest town to historic Old Fort Parker. The fort holds an annual Christmas event at the site every December. The original fort has been rebuilt on the original site to the original specifications.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,631 people, 1,416 households, and 956 families residing in the city.

At the 2010 census, 4,328 people, 1,286 households, and 864 families lived in the city. The population density was 989 people/sq mi (382/km). The 1,473 housing units averaged 336.8/s mi (130/km). The racial makeup of the city was 65.36% White, 20.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 11.3% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 20.9%.

Of the 1,286 households, 32.6% had children under 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were not families. About 29.2% of households were one person and 13% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.6, and the average family size was 3.25.

The age distribution in the city was 24.6% under 18, 8.4% from 19 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% 65 or older. The median age was 34.4 years.

Government

The City of Groesbeck is a type A general-law city. The current mayor is Matthew Dawley. The five current city council members are Tamika Jackson, Warren Anglin, Kim Harris, Sonia Selvera, and Lee Cox.

The main source of water is the Navasota River.

Library

The city of Groesbeck has one public library, located at 601 W. Yeagua St., also known as Hwy. 164.

Education

The city of Groesbeck is served by the Groesbeck Independent School District, which includes five different schools:
* Preschool
* H.O. Whitehurst
* Enge Washington
* Groesbeck Middle School
* Groesbeck High School

Notable people

* Joe Don Baker, actor, was born in Groesbeck in 1936
* Larry Dossey, physician, was born Groesbeck in 1940
* Lafayette L. Foster, President of the A&M College of Texas, politician, and journalist, lived and was elected in Groesbeck
* Clay Hammond, R&B singer and songwriter, was born in Groesbeck in 1936
* John E. Hatley, a former master sergeant in the United States Army, is serving a 40-year sentence in the Fort Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks for the murder of four Iraqi detainees. He attended high school in Groesbeck
* Lenoy Jones, a National Football League (NFL) player, played for Groesbeck High School
* Garland Roark, author (''Wake of the Red Witch''), born in Groesbeck
* Kenneth Sims, first overall selection in the 1982 NFL draft, inducted into College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021, played for Groesbeck High School
* Frankie Smith, an NFL player, played for Groesbeck High School
* John Westbrook was the first African American to play football in the Southwest Conference; he was born in Groesbeck in 1947

References

External links

*

Groesbeck Goats Football History Site


Local newspaper





Old Fort Parker Historical Site

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Cities in Texas
Cities in Limestone County, Texas
County seats in Texas
Populated places established in 1869
1869 establishments in Texas