Henderson is a city and the county seat of Rusk County, Texas, [4] United States. Its population was 13,271 at the 2020 census. Henderson is named for James Pinckney Henderson, the first governor of Texas.
The city has actually functioned as a significant crossroads in Northeast Texas over the last 2 centuries. Several major highways pass through business district of the town, consisting of U.S. Route 259, Texas State Highway 64, U.S. Route 79, Texas State Highway 43, Texas State Highway 42, and Texas State Highway 64
Annual occasions in the city of Henderson include the Heritage Syrup Festival in November, celebrating the East Texas custom of sorghum syrup making, and the East Texas Sacred Harp Convention in August including shape note music.
History
The city of Henderson was developed by European Americans before the State of Texas was established. It was developed on land donated by W.B. Ochiltree and James Smith; it ended up being the county seat of Rusk County when an act of legislature developed Rusk County on January 16, 1843. The First Methodist and First Baptist Churches were established in 1842 and 1845, respectively. Though a Baptist church was arranged in 1845, the existing First Baptist Church was reorganized in 1850. [5] The first courthouse, made of wood, was finished in 1849. After the Civil War, the International and Great Northern Railroad crossed through Rusk County, however bypassed Henderson. In 1869, a White mob lynched 5 Black males without trial, including two preachers, in the general public square outside the court house. [6] In 1874, the Henderson and Overton Branch Railroad Company developed a stretch of railroad linking Henderson to the tracks going through Overton. This stretch of railroad was later on offered to the Missouri Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific) and remains in use to this day.
In 1878, a fire ruined the courthouse, and a brick courthouse was integrated in its location. This motivated the building and construction of numerous other brick buildings, including the Howard Dickinson House, now an archaeological site.
In 1930, C. M. "Dad" Joiner brought in the Daisy Bradford # 3 Discovery Well 6 miles northwest of Henderson. [7] The discovery of oil in October 1930 produced a growing economy in the location, with the population of Henderson increasing from 2,000 to over 10,000 in a few months. The oil fields in and surrounding Henderson, part of the high-producing, five-county East Texas Oil Field, continue to provide a big part of the wealth of the town, county, and region.
During World War II, airmen cadets from the Royal Air Force, flying from their training base at Terrell, Texas, consistently flew to Henderson on training flights. The neighborhood functioned as a stand-in for the British for Dunkirk, France, which is the same range from London, England, as Henderson is from Terrell. [8]
1860 Henderson fire
On August 5, 1860, a fire broke out and burned the majority of the flourishing town of Henderson. Forty-three structures, consisting of 2 hotels, were ruined in the fire, for a loss of $220,000.
According to the Depot Museum, a guy named John Crow recalled the fire as follows:
I was about 8 years of ages when Henderson burned. I went to town with my dad the day after the fire. It burned every house in addition to I remember, except the Flanagan Brick Building. I remember I was barefooted and mindful not to burn my feet. My daddy stated at the time they believed a fellow named Green Herndon, a union guy, had worked with a negro female to burn Henderson. Herndon was a northerner and was a noticable opponent of secession. On the negro female's statement, a mob collected, tossed a loop around his neck, tied it to a saddle horse, which walked around the general public square dragging Herndon to death. Then they hung the body to a tree and shot it full of holes ... War was in preparation and people remained in fits of anger. When the war broke out, the males got all the files they could find and went to the blacksmith shops and made knives and swords. There was much laughter and I remember they said, "We'll whip those damn Yankees with axes and butcher knives. Everyone was distressed to go." [9]
John Crow was John Stephen Crow, born in Henderson on March 5, 1852 and passed away there on October 19, 1952. He is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery. His dad, Moses Melton Crow, belonged to a large group of family, friends, and next-door neighbors who left the location of Henry and Clayton Counties, Georgia, and were early settlers in Rusk County. The surnames of these early settlers consist of Burks, Cates, Crow, Mitchell, and others.
2015 Henderson Tornado
On Memorial Day, May 25, 2015, an EF-2 rated twister struck Henderson. That day, several twisters had actually struck other areas in Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The twister uprooted trees, harmed buildings, and caused minor damage to locations such as downtown, however no severe damage was tape-recorded. [10]
Geography
Henderson is positioned along the ridge that separates the Sabine River watershed from the Neches River watershed.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31 km2), of which 0.1 sq mi (0.26 km2) of it (0.92%) is covered by water.
Transportation
Airports
The Rusk County Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located 3 miles west of downtown Henderson. [11]
Major highways
State Highway 64.
State Highway 42
State Highway 43
Highway 259
Highway 79
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, 13,271 individuals, 3,968 families, and 2,752 households were living in the city.
Since the 2000 census, [2] 11,273 individuals, 4,350 families, and 2,971 families were living in the city. The population density was 947.6 people/sq mi (365.8/ km2). The 4,831 housing systems averaged 406.1/ sq mi (156.7/ km2). The racial makeup of the city was 68.98% White, 22.34% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 6.81% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 11.80% of the population.
Of the 4,350 households, 32.6% had kids under 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples cohabiting, 13.7% had a female householder without any hubby present, and 31.7% were not households. About 28.9% of all homes were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had somebody living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.52, and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city, the age distribution was 26.9% under 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 or older. The typical age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every single 100 females 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.
The mean earnings for a home in the city was $31,766, and for a family was $38,095. Males had an average earnings of $31,285 versus $19,473 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,491.
Government
Local federal government
The structure of the management and coordination of city services is: [15] (as of 2011) [needs upgrade]
State federal government
Henderson is represented in the Texas Senate by Republican Bryan Hughes, District 1, and in the Texas Legislature by Republican Joanne Shofner, District 11. [16]
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice contracts for the operation of East Texas Multi-Use Facility in Henderson, housing over 2000 male and female state inmates in treatment programs. The center is run by the Management and Training Corporation. [17]
Federal federal government
At the federal level, the two U.S.
