Trinity is a city in
Trinity County,
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 ...
, United States. The population was 2,343 at the
2020 census.
History
Trinity was founded in 1872 (possibly earlier as there is an 1870 Census for Trinity, Texas taken on 19 July, 1870) on land purchased from the New York and Texas Land Company. The town was a railroad station on the Houston and Great Northern Railroad.
The town was originally named Trinity Station after the Trinity River. The name of the town was later changed to Trinity City, then to Trinity. The town was incorporated in 1910.
Civilian Conservation Corps
A camp site for
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...
Company 839 was established 1.6 miles east of Trinity on June 8, 1933. The company was under the command of Captain Charles H Brammel and the medical department was under the direction of Dr H H Thornton. The field activities of the camp were mainly construction and maintenance of fire lanes, fire break roads and telephone lines.
Texas Long Leaf Lumber Company
In 1907, Thompson Brothers' Lumber Company built a
mill
Mill may refer to:
Science and technology
* Factory
* Mill (grinding)
* Milling (machining)
* Millwork
* Paper mill
* Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel
* Sugarcane mill
* Textile mill
* List of types of mill
* Mill, the arithmetic ...
and 37 acre pond at Trinity. Texas Long Leaf Lumber Company, which started at Willard in 1912, bought Thompson Brothers' Trinity mill in 1922. Under management of Paul Sanderson for 22 years, the company was one of the nation's most successful manufacturers of
Yellow Pine and Southern Hardwoods. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, production reached 140,000 board feet daily, resulting in lumber flown to Europe and Africa and the awarding of the
Army-Navy "E" Award in 1944. As one of the largest employers in Trinity, the closing of the mill in 1955 had a devastating impact on the local economy.
Hardin-Sublet Gunfight
On August 7, 1872,
John Wesley Hardin and Phil Sublet got into a gambling dispute at John Gates' Saloon. The saloon was a plank structure with a bar and a ten pin alley. After making peace, Sublet left the saloon and called out Hardin from the street south of the front door. Hardin appeared at that door and Sublet fired one shot at him. Hardin returned
fire not intending to kill him. Distracted, Hardin was pulled into a middle door and Sublet wounded him with the other barrel of his shotgun. Hardin then went after him through the streets and into a dry goods store. After a pistol malfunction, Hardin fired again and hit Sublet in the shoulder. Too weak from his wounds, Hardin was unable to pursue him.
Geography
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 3.8 square miles (9.8 km), all land.
Trinity, north of
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 ...
, has two stoplights. Mandy Oaklander of the ''
Houston Press
The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017.
The publication is supported entirely ...
'' said that Trinity "is a speck of a town
..
Milltown, a community on the periphery, housed employees of the town lumber mill. It had 208 houses, with 156 for white lumber mill workers and 52 for the black workers.
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 2,343 people, 1,134 households, and 717 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, there were 2,721 people, 1,098 households, and 703 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,284 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 57.18%
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 ...
, 33.88%
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 ...
, 0.40%
Native American, 0.48%
Asian, 6.76% from
other races, and 1.29% from two or more races.
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 were 10.92% of the population.
There were 1,098 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% 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, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,474, and the median income for a family was $28,678. Males had a median income of $24,470 versus $21,290 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 $14,320. About 15.2% of families and 24.9% 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 35.6% of those under age 18 and 24.4% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Old Red Schoolhouse
Completed in 1915, the
Prairie Style, T-Plan building housed all grade levels until completion of an adjacent High School in 1928. "Old Red" served as a schoolhouse for 80 years. When it was slated for demolition in the 1990s, concerned citizens and former students worked with the School District to preserve the historic building for continued use. Listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
by the United States Department of the Interior.
Education
The City of Trinity is served by the
Trinity Independent School District. The city also has a public library named th
Blanche K. Werner Public Library
Media
The ''Trinity Standard'' newspaper is published weekly by Polk County Publishing Company. Previous newspapers included The Trinity Tribune (1894), Democracy (1901), Trinity County News (1905), The Trinity Times (1927).
Employment
Trinity was historically a lumber town and Texas Longleaf Lumber Co. was the main employer; its operations closed in 1955.
[
As of 2014, employment makeup of the city was; 25.8% Health Care & Social Assistance; 22.9% Retail Trade; 16.6% Accommodation & Food Services; 9.9% Educational Services; 7.3% Public Administration; 7.3% Wholesale Trade; 2.6% Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services; 2.2% Construction; 2.0% Administration & Support, Waste Management & Remediation; 1.2% Utilities; 1.0% Finance & Insurance; .4% Information; .4% Other Services; .2% Real Estate & Rental & Leasing and .2% Transportation & Warehousing.]
Trinity Steel Fabricators, Inc.
Trinity Steel Fabricators was founded in 1976 by the Karnes family. In 2013 the company moved its headquarters to Houston, Texas. In 2014 the company acquired United Steel Fabricators, Inc., a structural steel fabrication facility in Trinity, Texas.
Avalon Place Nursing Home
Avalon Place has a rating of two stars based on the health inspection, staffing, and quality measures ratings combined into one. The 118 bed nursing home
A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...
is owned by Southwest LTC Trinity, Ltd, a for-profit partnership.
Higginbotham Brothers
Higginbotham Brothers is a hardware and sporting goods chain serving Texas since 1881. The company acquired Wilkison Hardware & Furniture in July 2017.
Trinity Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center
Trinity Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center has a rating of one star based on the health inspection, staffing, and quality measures ratings combined into one. The 76 bed nursing home
A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...
is owned by Trinity Rhc LLC, a for profit - limited liability company.
Infrastructure
Fire Department
Organized February 14, 1914, the Trinity Volunteer Fire Department began with 12 volunteers, 500 feet of hose, a shotgun and "some mighty strong lungs." When a fire broke out, one member would fire the shotgun and the rest would start yelling. Today TVFD members have advanced firefighting certification from the State Firemen's and Fire Marshal's Association.
Healthcare
CHI St. Luke's Health-Memorial Clinics opened an outpatient clinic Monday, August 7, 2017, in Trinity. CHI St. Luke's Health-Memorial officially signed a management service agreement with the Trinity Memorial Hospital District Board and its outpatient clinic. The hospital has yet to reopen.
Post Office
The post office was established February 28, 1872, with the appointment of Samuel Robb as postmaster. Construction of the current building was finished in August 1941, with Congressman Nat Patton as a keynote speaker during the opening ceremony.
Notable people
* Linda Ellerbee, journalist
* William Goyen, novelist, born in Trinity April 24, 1915
* Rebert H. Harris, Gospel Singer, born in Trinity, March 23, 1916
* Ollie Matson
Ollie Genoa Matson II (May 1, 1930 – February 19, 2011) was an American Olympic medal winning sprinter and professional football player. He played as a halfback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) from 1952 t ...
, NFL Hall of Fame halfback and Olympic medalist, born in Trinity, May 1, 1930
* Charlie Wilson, Texas politician and lieutenant
Gallery
File:Trinity_Chapel_A.M.E._Church_full_shot.jpg, Trinity Chapel A.M.E. Church, 1890.
File:Trinity_tx_post_office_mural.jpg, Post Office mural "Lumber Manufacturing" by Jerry Bywaters, 1942.
File:Dorcas_Wills_Memorial_Baptist_Church_est._shot.jpg, Dorcas Wills Memorial Baptist Church, 1934.
File:Wildman_Statue_by_Jim_Robertson.jpg, Wildman statue by Jim Robertson, 2000.
Notes
References
External links
City of Trinity
*
Blanche K Werner Public Library
Texas State Historical Association
Trinity 1909 Sanborn Map Company
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Cities in Trinity County, Texas
Cities in Texas
Populated places established in 1872
1872 establishments in Texas