Marion County, Texas

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Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,725.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Jefferson.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Marion County is in East Texas and is named for Francis Marion, the Revolutionary War general from South Carolina who was nicknamed the "Swamp Fox".

History

Native Americans

The indigenous farming Caddoan Mississippian culture has been dated to 200 BCE in the area. The Hernando de Soto expedition of 1541 resulted in violent encounters with Native Americans. Spanish and French missionaries carried endemic diseases: resulting in epidemics of smallpox, measles malaria, and influenza among the Caddo. Eventually, the Caddo were forced to reservations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Shashidahnee (Timber Hill) is the last known permanent Marion County settlement of the Caddo people. During the 19th century, Shawnee, Delaware, and Kickapoo migrated to the area and settled here.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

County established

The legislature formed Marion County from Cass County in 1860 and named it for Revolutionary War Swamp Fox Francis Marion.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Jefferson, named after Thomas Jefferson became the county seat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The majority of the settlers had migrated from other southern states and brought enslaved African Americans with them as workers, or purchased them in slave markets. The county was developed as cotton plantations, and enslaved African Americans made up 51 percent of the population in 1860. In 1861, the white male voters in the county voted unanimously for secession from the Union. The county benefited financially from Confederate government contracts.<ref name="Marion County, Texas">Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 1869 the river steamboat Mittie Stephens caught fire from a torch basket that ignited a hay stack on board. Sixty-one people died, either from the fire or from being caught in the boat's paddlewheel as they jumped overboard.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following the Civil War, the white minority used violence to impose dominance on the freedmen. On October 4, 1869, George Washington Smith, a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention, was murdered by a band of vigilantes while incarcerated in Jefferson. Smith's slaying resulted in the federal government assigning military troops to Jefferson. They offered some protection for the black majority during the Reconstruction era.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

During Reconstruction, Republican presidential races were supported by the black majority voters in the county. However, with the end of Reconstruction, white conservative Democrats regained control of the state legislature and, in 1898, passed various restrictions on voter registration and voting, including establishing White primaries. Because the Democratic Party dominated the state, its primaries afforded the only true competitive political races. Blacks were unable to vote in these primaries and were thus disenfranchised. Various forms of the white primary survived until 1944 when a US Supreme Court ruling overturned the practice as racially discriminatory and unconstitutional.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Williams, Patrick G. “Suffrage Restriction in Post-Reconstruction Texas: Urban Politics and the Specter of the Commune.” The Journal of Southern History, vol. 68, no. 1, 2002, pp. 31–64. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3069690. Accessed September 7, 2020.</ref>

The Marion County brick courthouse was erected in 1914, designed by architect Elmer George Withers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the early 20th century, the Dick Taylor Camp of Confederate veterans erected a monument to honor the county's dead in the American Civil War, placing it outside the courthouse.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Caddo Lake State Park was first proposed in 1924. From 1933 to 1937, during the Great Depression, men were hired into the Civilian Conservation Corps and made improvements to the park. The former army barracks and mess hall were converted to log cabins and a recreation hall for park goers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (9.4%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

File:Entering Marion County, Texas, from Louisiana, along Texas State Highway 49.jpg

Entering Marion County from Louisiana along State Highway 49

File:US 59.svg U.S. Highway 59
- File:I-369 (TX).svg Interstate 369 is under construction and will follow the current route of U.S. 59 in most places.
File:Texas 43.svg State Highway 43
File:Texas 49.svg State Highway 49
File:Texas 155.svg State Highway 155
File:Texas FM 134.svg Farm to Market Road 134
File:Texas FM 248.svg Farm to Market Road 248
File:Texas FM 2208.svg Farm to Market Road 2208
File:Texas FM 726.svg Farm to Market Road 726
File:Texas FM 729.svg Farm to Market Road 729
File:Texas FM 727.svg Farm to Market Road 727
File:Texas FM 805.svg Farm to Market Road 805
File:Texas FM 2683.svg Farm to Market Road 2683

The TTC-69 component (recommended preferred) of the once-planned Trans-Texas Corridor went through Marion County.<ref>TxDoT, TTC Section F, Detailed Maps 1 & 2, 2007-12-28 Template:Webarchive</ref>

Adjacent counties and parish

Cass County (north)
Caddo Parish, Louisiana (east)
Harrison County (south)
Upshur County (west)
Morris County (northwest)

Communities

Demographics

Template:US Census population

**Marion County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	7,818	7,564	6,869	71.46%	71.72%	70.63%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,599	2,319	1,846	23.75%	21.99%	18.98%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	79	72	69	0.72%	0.68%	0.71%
Asian alone (NH)	23	50	48	0.21%	0.47%	0.49%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	3	0	0.00%	0.03%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	3	8	45	0.03%	0.08%	0.46%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	156	202	459	1.43%	1.92%	4.72%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	263	328	389	2.40%	3.11%	4.00%
Total	10,941	10,546	9,725	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

According to the 2000 U.S. census, there were 10,941 people, 4,610 households, and 3,120 families residing in the county.<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 6,384 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 72.74% White, 23.91% Black or African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. 2.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The 2020 United States census reported a population of 9,725.<ref name="2020CensusP2" /> Its racial and ethnic makeup in 2020 was 70.63% non-Hispanic white, 18.98% Black or African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.46% some other race, 4.72% multiracial, and 4.0% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,347, and the median income for a family was $32,039. Males had a median income of $30,584 versus $17,885 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,535. About 17.80% of families and 22.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.90% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over. According to the 2020 American Community Survey, the median household income was $39,093.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>