Terrell is a city in the U.S. state of

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 ...

, located in Kaufman County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,465. Terrell is located about east of

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

History

Terrell developed as a railroad town, beginning in 1873 with the construction of the Texas and Pacific Railroad line. The town was named for Robert A. Terrell, a pioneer European-American settler whose farm lay on its western edge. He built an octagonal house on his property, called "Round House", to provide better defense against attacks by Native Americans. 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 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 The Churches of Christ, also commonly known as the Church of Christ, is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations located around the world. Typically, their distinguishing beliefs are that of the necessity of baptism for salvation ...

, 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 serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

. 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. U.S. Route 80 passes through the city center, leading west to Dallas and east to Wills Point. Interstate 20 passes through the south side of the city, leading west to Interstate 635 in the southeastern suburbs of Dallas ( Balch Springs) and east to Canton. Texas State Highway 34 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. 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 ...

, Terrell has a total area of , of which , or 1.74%, is covered by 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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Terrell has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, 17,465 people, 6,023 households, and 4,111 families resided in the city.

Arts and culture

British Flying Training School

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

flight school Flight training is a course of study used when learning to aviator, 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 un ...

s in the United States dedicated to instructing British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(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. 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 RAF airmen who died in a crash during World War II. The four, flying from Terrell, encountered difficulties over the Kiamichi Mountains 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 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, demonstrations, and activities for every member of the family. The reunion dinner and hangar dance are 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 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.

Notable people

* Harry Ables, baseball player * Betty Brown, politician * Louis Conradt, attorney * Robert H. Dennard,

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

who invented

DRAM Dram, DRAM, or drams may refer to: Technology and engineering * Dram (unit), a unit of mass and volume, and an informal name for a small amount of liquor, especially whisky or whiskey * Dynamic random-access memory, a type of electronic semicondu ...

and identified

MOSFET upright=1.3, Two power MOSFETs in amperes">A in the ''on'' state, dissipating up to about 100 watt">W and controlling a load of over 2000 W. A matchstick is pictured for scale. In electronics, the metal–oxide–semiconductor field- ...

scaling law (known as Dennard scaling) * Jamie Foxx, two-time Grammy Award-winning musician and singer, and Academy Award-winning actor * Lance Gooden, U.S. congressman since 2019 * Jimmy Harris, football defensive back and quarterback * Kenoy Kennedy, football safety * Brice McCain, football cornerback * Laci Mosley, actress * Cynthea Rhodes, a member of the US track & field 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 * Ricky Donnell "Freeway Ricky" Ross, former drug kingpin * Randy Snow, tennis player * C. J. Wilson, American football cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, and NC State * Darrius Johnson, football cornerback, 2x Super Bowl champion,

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, Kansas City Chiefs

Notes

References

External links

*
Terrell Chamber of Commerce

Texas State Historical Association

''The Terrell Tribune''

Terrell Daily Photo Blog

Terrell Texas Daily Photo Blog
* {{authority control 1874 establishments in Texas Cities in Kaufman County, Texas Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Populated places established in 1874 Sundown towns in Texas