Morris County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. As of the 2020 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Daingerfield. Morris County is probably named for William Wright Morris, an early judge and planter from Henderson, also in northeast Texas. As of 2016, Morris County is no longer one of six entirely dry, prohibition counties in the state of Texas. Morris County is "partially wet."

History

In the nineteenth century, this area was settled primarily by European-American planters and farmers, many of whom brought African American slaves 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, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. 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, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, 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 (northwest)

Communities

Cities

* Daingerfield (county seat) * Hughes Springs (mostly in Cass County) *

Lone Star Lone Star, Lone Starr, Lone Stars or Lonestar may refer to: Communities in the United States * Lone Star, Arizona, a populated place * Lone Star, Fresno County, California, an unincorporated community * Lone Star, Humboldt County, California ...

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

Town

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Unincorporated community

* Cason *

Jenkins Jenkins may refer to: People * Jenkins (name), history of the surname * List of people with surname Jenkins * The Jenkins, country music group Places United States * Jenkins, Illinois *Jenkins, Kentucky * Jenkins, Minnesota * Jenkins, Missour ...

Government

A single room was first used as a courthouse. In 1882 a new courthouse was built, for $5,500. On July 19, 1971, a groundbreaking occurred for a replacement courthouse, scheduled to open in 1972.
Clipping
from

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Demographics

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, 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 (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 6,017 housing units at an average density of . In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 71.71%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 24.13%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.53% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.28% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races; 3.66% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino 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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 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 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 ...

, 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 Hughes Springs Independent School District is a public school district located in Hughes Springs, Texas (USA). Located in Cass County, a small portion of the district extends into Morris County, including some of the city of Lone Star. In ...

(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 The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...

and immediate post-Jim Crow eras. (It only voted for a Republican in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

.) 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