Editing Hemphill, Texas

{{short description|City in and county seat of Sabine County, Texas, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Distinguish|Hemphill County, Texas}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Hemphill, Texas
| settlement_type          = [[City]]
| image_skyline            = HemphillTexas1 (1 of 1).jpg
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Hemphill, June 2017
| image_map                = TXMap-doton-Hemphill.PNG
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of Hemphill, Texas
| image_map1               = Sabine County Hemphill.svg
| mapsize1                 = 250px
| map_caption1             = 
<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Texas]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Texas|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Sabine County, Texas|Sabine]]
<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = 
| leader_name              = 
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = 
<!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_48.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_km2           = 6.60
| area_land_km2            = 6.58
| area_water_km2           = 0.02
| area_total_sq_mi         = 2.55
| area_land_sq_mi          = 2.54
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.01
<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 1029
| population_density_sq_mi = 489.96
| population_density_km2   = 189.19
<!-- General information -->
| timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset               = -6
| timezone_DST             = CDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -5
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 266
| coordinates              = {{coord|31|20|35|N|93|51|04|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 75948
| area_code                = [[Area code 409|409]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 48-33188<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2410739<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2410739}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|https://www.cityofhemphill.com/}}
| footnotes                = 
}}

'''Hemphill''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Sabine County, Texas|Sabine County]], [[Texas]], United States. The population was 1,029 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. It is the [[county seat]] of Sabine County.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=2011-05-31 }}</ref> It is located on [[State Highway 87 (Texas)|State Highway 87]] at the junction of State Highway 184, and is surrounded by the [[Sabine National Forest]] and the [[Toledo Bend Reservoir]].

==Historical development==
In 1858 the Sabine County voters elected to move the county seat from [[Milam, Texas|Milam]], in the east along the Sabine River, to a more central part of the county. The following year, the plans for the town were laid down, with the post office opening as well. The Town was named after [[John Hemphill (politician)|John Hemphill]], an early Texas judge and legal scholar, and later a [[United States senator]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hjh07 |title=Hemphill, TX (Sabine County) |work= The Handbook of Texas Online| publisher=Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) |first=Cecil|last=Harper, Jr.|access-date=2011-01-05}}</ref>

The location was ideal in terms of being centrally located in relation to other settlements, but it initially had poor transportation access, as it was neither located on the [[Sabine River (Texas-Louisiana)|Sabine River]] or existing rail lines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.texasescapes.com/AllThingsHistorical/HemphillTexasAMD702.htm |title=Hemphill, Texas|date= July 2002 |work=Texas Escapes|first=Archie P. |last=McDonald|access-date=2011-01-05 }}</ref> In 1912, the ''Lufkin, Hemphill and Gulf Railway'' provided Hemphill with rail connections. This construction also supported nearby lumber operations. After the timber was depleted and sawmills closed in these communities, by 1938 the line would be abandoned.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.4|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|2.4|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.04|sqmi|km2}} (1.66%) is water.

Hemphill is 484 miles (as the crow flies) from [[Hemphill County, Texas|Hemphill County]] (which is in the northern Panhandle).  This is the largest separation of a Texas city from a Texas county of the same name.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1930= 731
|1940= 739
|1950= 972
|1960= 913
|1970= 1005
|1980= 1353
|1990= 1182
|2000= 1106
|2010= 1198
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
|2020=1029}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Hemphill racial composition as of 2020'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4833188&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref><br /> (NH = Non-Hispanic){{efn|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.<ref>https://www.census.gov/ {{nonspecific|date=August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About the Hispanic Population and its Origin |url=https://www.census.gov/topics/population/hispanic-origin/about.html |website=www.census.gov |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref>}}
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|780
|75.8%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] (NH)
|116
|11.27%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] (NH)
|3
|0.29%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] (NH)
|16
|1.55%
|-
|Some Other Race (NH)
|2
|0.19%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|35
|3.4%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
|77
|7.48%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''1,029'''
|
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,029 people, 469 households, and 313 families residing in the city.

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,106 people, 467 households, and 301 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|465.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 574 housing units at an average density of {{convert|241.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 77.40% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 16.82% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.63% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3.62% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.54% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 5.61% of the population.

There were 467 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,781, and the median income for a family was $33,839. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $20,417 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $15,674. About 14.1% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 31.5% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The City of Hemphill is served by the [[Hemphill Independent School District]]

==Recreation==
The nearby [[Toledo Bend Reservoir|Toledo Bend]] and [[Sam Rayburn Reservoir|Sam Rayburn]] lakes attract many tourists during the summer months.

==Killing of Loyal Garner Jr.==
On Christmas night 1987, Loyal Garner Jr. of [[Florien, Louisiana]], a 34-year-old African-American truck driver and married father of six, was arrested with two companions for alleged drunk driving in Sabine County. After being beaten on a bridge near the Toledo Bend area by the Hemphill Police Department's Chief of Police, Thomas Ladner, and two deputies which were called for by Ladner, Loyal Garner Jr. was taken to the Sabine County Jail. The following morning, he was found comatose in his cell. Garner was taken for treatment to a local hospital and then to one in the city of [[Tyler, Texas]], seat of [[Smith County, Texas|Smith County]], where he died after neurosurgery. Officials in Tyler thought the death suspicious, as an autopsy showed evidence of beating, and they refused to return the body to Hemphill until completing their own investigation. Ladner and two sheriff deputies were tried in Hemphill of violating Garner's civil rights and acquitted, to cheers by whites in the courtroom. Garner's family sued city officials for his death, and the city settled with the family for an undisclosed amount.<ref name="nyt"/> In 1990, Ladner and the two Sabine County Sheriff's Office deputies were convicted of murder by a jury in Tyler, and sentenced to lengthy prison terms, especially for Ladner.<ref name="nyt"/>

The difference in the two trial verdicts has been attributed in part to the composition and attitudes of the juries.  
African-Americans in Hemphill comprised about 20 percent of the small town's population. They conducted their first civil rights protest after Ladner's acquittal, and founded the first chapter here of the [[NAACP]]. The circumstances of Garner's death and the two trials of Hemphill law enforcement officers had attracted national media attention. The protest and associated events were also covered by [[CBS]] ''[[60 Minutes]]''.<ref name="nyt">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/11/us/race-justice-killing-east-texas-special-report-death-ripple-deep-racial-current.html |title=RACE AND JUSTICE: A KILLING IN EAST TEXAS - A SPECIAL REPORT.; Death as a Ripple in Deep Racial Current|work= New York Times |access-date=2014-09-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/04/us/3-ex-policemen-are-convicted-in-texas-killing.html |title=3 Ex-Policemen Are Convicted In Texas Killing|work= New York Times |access-date=2014-09-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1980&dat=19880207&id=loYiAAAAIBAJ&pg=1133,1709785 |title=The Story of Loyal Garner Jr.|author=Stewart Taggart, Associated Press |work= The Item|date=7 February 1988|access-date=2014-09-16 }}</ref><ref name="petrakos">{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/03/01/a-tale-of-bleak-justice-in-an-unrepentant-texas-town/ |title=A Tale Of Bleak Justice In An Unrepentant Texas Town|work=Chicago Tribune|author=Chris Petrakos |date=1 March 1993 | publisher=Chicago Tribune.com |access-date=2014-09-16 }}</ref>

==Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster==
In February 2003, the town and its vicinity were one of the key search areas for wreckage from the [[Space Shuttle Columbia|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'']] after it [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|broke up]] over Texas. Search teams recovered some of the remains of the shuttle and crew members,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=327 |title=NASA Inspects Reports of Wing Debris | work=First Coast News|publisher=Associated Press |access-date=2011-01-05 }}</ref> and the Orbiter Experiment Support System recorder (OEX) was found near Hemphill.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasaimages.org/luna/servlet/detail/nasaNAS~6~6~34218~138085:KENNEDY-SPACE-CENTER,-FLA----The-Or?printerFriendly=1 |title=The Orbiter Experiment Support System (OEX) recorder from Columbia... |work=NASA Images |publisher=www.nasaimages.org |access-date=2011-01-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727151221/http://www.nasaimages.org/luna/servlet/detail/nasaNAS~6~6~34218~138085%3AKENNEDY-SPACE-CENTER%2C-FLA----The-Or?printerFriendly=1 |archive-date=2011-07-27 }}</ref>

A memorial has been erected in Hemphill commemorating the deceased ''Columbia'' astronauts. The memorial is located at the intersection of Hwy 87 North and Hwy 83 East.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hemphill.govoffice2.com/index.asp?Type=B_LOC&SEC=%7B0404822D-63D7-43A7-ABAB-CD50C9784022%7D&DE=%7B2C7030B1-8DAC-449A-93D4-0E12415E08F6%7D |title=Columbia Memorial |work=Tourism |publisher=City of Hemphill, Texas |access-date=2011-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006022132/http://www.hemphill.govoffice2.com/index.asp?Type=B_LOC&SEC=%7B0404822D-63D7-43A7-ABAB-CD50C9784022%7D&DE=%7B2C7030B1-8DAC-449A-93D4-0E12415E08F6%7D |archive-date=2010-10-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On the eighth anniversary of the disaster, the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA "Remembering Columbia" Museum was opened in Hemphill on February 1, 2011, in a new building constructed next to the J.R. Huffman Public Library. The museum is named for the late wife of philanthropist Al Smith, who donated most of the money to build the museum. The Sugar Land real estate developer also exports construction materials. He and his wife had also donated money for the library a decade before.<ref>[https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2011/01/31/east-texas-community-opening-first-museum-on-columbia-shuttle-disaster-on-tragedys-eighth-anniversary- Lee Hancock, "East Texas community opening first museum on Columbia shuttle disaster on tragedy's eighth anniversary"]{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''Dallas News'', 31 January 2011; accessed 02 June 2018</ref> The new museum features the permanent "NASA Remembering Columbia" exhibit. It includes many items donated by area families who worked on the search for remains, as well as items from families of the astronauts, and official material from NASA, which operates the museum.<ref name=space.com>{{cite news|title=New Museum Spotlights Columbia Shuttle Disaster|url=http://www.space.com/10731-space-shuttle-columbia-disaster-museum.html|work=space.com|access-date=1 February 2011}}</ref>

==Climate==
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Hemphill has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=670414&cityname=Hemphill%2C+Texas%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Hemphill, Texas]</ref>

==Photo gallery==
<gallery widths="140px" class="center">
Image:Downtown Hemphill Wiki 2 (1 of 1).jpg|Downtown Hemphill
Image:Downtown Hemphill Wiki 1 (1 of 1).jpg|Downtown Hemphill
Image:Sabine County Courthouse Hemphill Wiki (1 of 1).jpg|Sabine County Courthouse
Image:Sabine County Jail Hemphill Wiki (1 of 1).jpg|Sabine County Jail
Image:Downtown Hemphill Wiki 3 (1 of 1).jpg|Downtown Hemphill
</gallery>

==See also==
{{portal|Texas}}
* [[List of municipalities in Texas]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|22em}}

==Further reading==
* Howard Swindle, ''Deliberate Indifference'' (Viking, 1993), is a non-fiction book about the Loyal Garner, Jr. killing and subsequent trials.

==External links==
{{commons category|Hemphill, Texas}}
* {{Gnis|1381990|Hemphill}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000708035027/http://www.toledo-bend.com/hemphill-tour/index.asp Hemphill Texas Town Square Walking Tour]}}
* [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/11/us/race-justice-killing-east-texas-special-report-death-ripple-deep-racial-current.html RACE AND JUSTICE: A KILLING IN EAST TEXAS - A SPECIAL REPORT.; Death as a Ripple in Deep Racial Current]
* [http://tx.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19931231_0042053.TX.htm/qx Find a Case THOMAS E. LADNER & JAMES HYDEN v. STATE TEXAS (12/31/93)]
*[https://map.chronicle.rip/city_of_hemphill_cemetery City of Hemphill Cemetery deceased records and online map] at Chronicle Cemetery Map


{{Sabine County, Texas}}
{{Texas county seats}}

{{authority control}}


[[Category:Cities in Texas]]
[[Category:Cities in Sabine County, Texas]]
[[Category:County seats in Texas]]