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Bowie County, Texas

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Contents

Formed

  • 1836 - Republic of Texas legislature formed Red River County (including Bowie county territory [1]
Dec 1840- Republic of Texas established Bowie County from Red River Co. and named for James Bowie.[1] It contained Cass, Titus and Morris counties as territory.
1841 -DeKalb was county seat temporarily, then Boston became the permanent county seat. [2][1]
1846 - Bowie county became the size and boundary that it is today. (Cass, Titus counties were formed. [1]

Adjacent Counties

Northwest
"Red River"
McCurtain County, Oklahoma		 North
"Red River"
Little River County, Arkansas		 Northeast
North arrow
West
Red River County		 West arrow Bowie County, Texas East arrow East
Miller County, Arkansas
South arrow
Southwest
Morris County		 South
Cass County		 Southeast


History/Timeline

One end in Texas and the other in Arkansas.

Bowie county was named in honor of Col James Bowie, one of the Alamo Defenders killed in the Battle of the Alamo.

1500 BCE The early cultures in this area indicate Caddoan Mississippian culture from Late Archaic Period 1500 BC.
1541 - Expedition of Hernando de Soto. Epidemics of smallpox, measles, influenza were carried in by Spanish and French missionaries.
1542 - Texas Handbook indicates Moscoso expedition as a possible route across Bowie area.[1]
The Caddo Indians had no immunity, and were affected by the diseases, reducing their population. This and Osage problems caused the Caddo to abandon their abodes. This left Shawnee, Delaware and Kickapoo Indians in the area.[2][1]
1687 Henri Joutel was journeying North in his attempt to find Henri de Tonti. [1]
1690 - Henri de Tonti crossed area searching for La Salle expedition settlers or survivors.[1]
Louisiana Purchase.
1719 - Jean Baptiste Bénard de La Harpe began the French military fort, "Le Poste des Cadodaquious", used until 1770.[2][1]
1806 - Thomas Freeman and Dr. Peter Custis were sent by President Jefferson to explore North of New Boston area.[1]
1815- Hunters, traders were in this area (considered part of Arkansas). [1]
1818- A permanent settlement white settlement in Texas. Settlements began also in the Red River area.[1] [3]
Arkansas Territory showing parts of Texas and Oklahoma.
1820- settlers were present here and in Miller county Arkansas. The Settlers felt the area was part of the U.S. The U.S. Government would not grand them land titles. Settlers then tried for titles from the Mexican government. Settlers kept requesting land titles from Benjamin R Milam as well as Arkansas legislature.[1]
1836 Convention of 1836 in Washington-on-the-Brazos- Red River settlements and this county sent their representatives to the meeting, Samuel P Carson, Richard Ellis and Collin McKinney lived in the Bowie area.[1]
1836 - Republic of Texas legislature formed Red River County (including Bowie county territory) [1]
Dec 1840- Republic of Texas established Bowie County and named for James Bowie.[1] It contained Cass, Titus and Morris counties as territory.
1841 -DeKalb was county seat temporarily, then Boston became the permanent county seat. [2][1]
1846 - Bowie county became the size and boundary that it is today. (Cass, Titus counties were formed. [1]
1849 1,113 bales cotton. Bowie's settlers were mostly southern, with the plantation-system. [1]
1850's before the Civil war, Bowie was settled by Southerners bringing the Plantation-labor system to handle the cotton field labor. [2]
1860, slaves outnumbered whites 2,651 to 2,401. [1]
1850-1860 slaves in 1850 -were 1,641 blacks and 1,271 whites. Yet by (2,651) were more than the whites ( 2,401) There were 145 slave holders in 1850, with 22% owning more than 20 slaves per personThese were the planter. Of the county's 145 slaveholders in 1850, 22 planters (15% owned more than twenty slaves each. These planters owned more than half of all the slaves in the county. During the years before 1860, the slaveholding increased by 30%.[1]
Stateline marker for Texas and Arkansas.
1860- Bowie county voted 208-15 for secession from the Union. No battles were fought here, but occupation forces were here at the time of Reconstruction. Planters owned 65% of slaves in the county[2][1]
1860-1861: Bowie County's white population supported the secession movement during the winter of 1860–61. The vote was 208 to 15. They supported the war effort of the Confederacy.[1]
1861-1865 -:No battles occurred in Bowie county, there was no physical destruction. These years were hard on the citizens, both those at home and those in the war and Confederate currency was not stable, and ports were blocked for shipping the cotton.[1]
Post 1865 - Bowie was never a battlefield in that war, it was occupied during Reconstruction. [1]Between 1860 and 1870 the population declined. The occupation to ensure the legal equality of blacks bothered many local people.b Example: Cullen Baker- opposed the Reconstruction process. [2]
1866-Reconstruction - Economy in the county was turned upside down. It gave freedom to the black population. Where to find jobs for them? White population had loss of capital. They paid taxes ($1,167,139 taxes on 2,269 slaves who were no longer slaves taxes $1,167,139, which equaled 64% of the County taxable property.) Property values dropped. [1]
1866 -Radical Republicans wanted to give the former slaves legal and political equality. Troops

were stationed here (garrison of 18-20 men). Some of the county caused trouble for the freed blacks and Unionists. [1]

Post 1866 INCIDENT- Baker and GANG . William Kirkman of Union Army was agent of Freedman's Bureau, his troops were a reminder of being ruled by an occupation army.
It was insufficient to prevent killer, Cullen Baker and gang from killing or harassing freedmen, killing a soldier, wounding another. Some whites supported Baker's tactics, others helped Baker hide. Residents of the county were giving trouble to the freed blacks, and Unionists. Kirkman and his soldiers clashed again, trying to subdue Baker and gang, one was killed. Kirkman was indicted for murder by local civil authorities, asked to leave, murdered.. The union soldiers left.[1]
1869 Bowie Democrats regained control of county by the time of the radical Constitution of 1869.
1868-70 In addition to the activities of Baker and his gang, bands of county men resembling the Ku Klux Klan patrolled the county killing or expelling blacks who were attempting to exist and exercise their freedom. The bands of county men tried to prevent the blacks from leaving the county.
1870 white population was 2,434, black population decreased as they left to find jobs elsewhere ( 2,651 to 2,249.)
1873 - Texas and Pacific Railway was built. This gave rise to Texarkana. [2] Texarkana was a major shipping going and market. [1]
mid -1880 - citizens voted to make Texarkana county seat and county seat moved.[1]
1880- After this less farmers did not own the land they farmed....Census showed 36% farmers were tenants. By 1930 64% were tenants. [1]
mid -1880 - citizens voted to make Texarkana county seat and county seat moved.[1]
late1889- courthouse burned in Texarkana, losing a lot of county records.[1]
1890 citizens lobbied for Boston to be county seat. New courthouse was built.[1]
1900's- 5,256 people lived on the Texas side of Texarkana - (20% county population).[1]
1930's the Great Depression was hard for farmers and citizens here as other counties. Values for county farms fell from $3,498 to $2,373. [1]
World War II men enlisted to fight overseas.
More farms ceased to grow cotton. Larger farms used mechanized equipment. Tenant farmers fell to 46%. Ranching began.
1941- Red River Army Depot opened 1941 which is still operating and providing jobs to local citizens.. These installations were on 40,000 acre.
1942 - Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant was built which employed workers until 2009..
1980 - population of 16,498 blacks living in Bowie - less than 22% of its 75,301 residents. In 2000 70% were Anglos, with 24% blacks and 5% Hispanic.
1982 livestock became most important agricultural commodity, farmers reported 62,528 cattle.
Government Offices

Bowie County residents wanted different county seats and courthouses. Bowie County has had four courthouses:1841 - Old Boston 1st county seat, 2nd County Courthouse1887 - Texarkana (Burned 1-21-1889) 2nd County Seat, 1891 3rd courthouse, in Boston, which burned Aug 12, 1989 and 4th courthouse located IN New Boston.[4]

Within a thirty-mile radius of of Texarkana there are said to be seventy Caddo Indian mounds.
  • 1841 1st Courthouse was located in Old Boston, Bowie county, Texas. This town had 300-400 people after the Civil war. Its population began to shrink due to the railroad bypassing by 3-4 miles. Businessmen asked the railroad to build a depot north of the town which they did.. The new town was named New Boston.
Bowie county 1891 Courthouse.
  • 1891 Jail - old
old Jail.
  • 1891 courthouse was vacated after construction of the new courthouse and was burned by an arsonist in 1989.
  • 1933 post office/Courthouse - There were two post offices for each state. First joint office was built on this site. It was razed in 1930, and in 1933 the present structure was completed. The base is of Texas pink granite while walls are of limestone from Arkansas.
Post Office/Courthouse-This is the only Federal office building which straddles a state line. The Texas-Arkansas state boundary (established in 1841 by United States and Republic of Texas) passes through center. It serves as courthouse and Post office.
Texarkana, Tx/Arkansas courthouse/Post Office.
  • 1985 -Bowie County Courthouse, in New Boston, Texas, 1985 was built with a modern Style of concrete and brick.
1985 Bowie county courthouse in New Boston

Geography

Bowie county is located in the far NE part of the state. It has northern border of the Red River, :Oklahoma north above the Red River and Arkansas to the east.
County Seat '-Boston
Latitude/longitude 33°27' north latitude and 94°25' west longitude.
County's largest town, Texarkana, is 21 miles west of the center.
Size: 891 square miles of the East Texas Timberlands.
Terrain - rolling
Elevation- 200 to 450 feet above sea level.
Drain of rains - are Red and Sulphur rivers on the N and S boundaries [5]
Soil - loamy or clay.
Mineral resources are -oil, gas, lignite, and ceramic clay.
Abundant forest land, with timber yielding 10,292,035 cubic feet.
Temperatures high of 94°F in July to low of 30° in January.
Rainfall high - with average 47 inches
Growing season 235 days annually.
Wildlife -At first European contact, wildlife buffalo, deer, bear, beaver, and turkey.

Formed From

  • Bowie County was created and organized in 1840 from Red River County with New Boston as the county seat. It was named for Alamo hero James Bowie.,

Protected areas

  • Prairies and Pineywoods Wildlife Trail
  • Wright Patman Lake

Demographics

In 2000, there were 89,306 people, 33,058 households, and 23,438 families residing in the county. The population density was 101 inhabitants per square mile (39/km2). Racial breakdown was 73.26% White, 23.42% Black and. 4.47% of the population were Hispanic. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in the county was $33,001, and the median income for a family was $41,108. 13.80% of families and 17.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.00% of those under age 18 and 12.40% of those age 65 or over. [6]

Changes in consumer products have led to decreasing demand for cotton. By 1981 Cotton no longer was being grown.

adjacent counties to Bowie

Politics:
After 1869, Bowie County was solidly Democratic. Presidential politics the county voted Democratic until it voted for George Wallace. Since then The county voted Republican except for Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton.[7]

sixty years after Reconstruction, Bowie County continued to be mostly a agriculture-based county. Cotton was larger crop until the 1869 harvest, but staple items began to increase.
Corn is a principal food crop, ranged from the 1869 low of 104,805 bushels to a high of 929,954 bushels in 1909. The timber in the county provides a large income.
Cotton was producing but was not providing any giant income.
1880 - many farmers did not own the land they farmed,. In 1930- 64% farmers were tenant farmers.
  • Wheat, soybeans, and hay were the largest crops in 1981. Cattle industry is significant.

The Cities of Nash and Texarkana passed laws in 2013 and 2014 respectively to sell beer and wine. Previously the county was one of Texas' dry counties. [8]

Cities

  • Texarkana (population, 38,073 in Texas, 30,049 in Arkansas)
  • Nash

Town/Communities


Events/Festivals

  • Quadrangle Festival, Texarkana in September
  • Pioneer Days, August in New Boston

Schools

Colleges/Universitiues

  • Texarkana College.
  • DeKalb College was founded in 1839

Public Schools

Listed by category within Independent School District (ISD).

DeKalb ISD

Hooks ISD Hooks High School (Grades 9-12) Hooks Junior High (Grades 5-8) Hooks Elementary (Grades PK-4)

Hubbard ISD

  • Hubbard Elementary (PK-8)

'Leary ISD

Liberty-Eylau ISD Liberty-Eylau High School (Grades 9-12) Liberty-Eylau Middle (Grades 5-8) 2008 National Blue Ribbon School[2] C.K. Bender Elementary (Grades 2-4) Liberty-Eylau Primary (Grades K-1) Liberty-Eylau Pre-Kindergarten Center (Pre-K)

Malta ISD

Maud ISD

New Boston ISD New Boston High School (9th-12th) New Boston Middle School (6th-8th) Crestview Elementary School (3rd-5th) Oakview Primary School (PK-2nd)


Pleasant Grove ISD Pleasant Grove High School (Grades 9-12) Pleasant Grove Middle School (Grades 6-8) Pleasant Grove Intermediate School (Grades 3-5) Pleasant Grove Elementary School (Grades PK

Red Lick ISD Red Lick Elementary (Grades K-4) Red Lick Middle (Grades 5-8)

Redwater ISD Redwater High School(Grades 9-12) Redwater Junior High (Grades 7-8) Redwater Middle (Grades 4-6) Redwater Elementary (Grades PK

Simms ISD James Bowie High (Grades 9-12) James Bowie Middle (Grades 6-8) James Bowie Elementary (Grades PK-5).

Texarkana ISD Texas High School

Texas Middle School

Dunbar Intermediate Center Fifteenth Street Early Literacy Center *Highland Park Elementary Martha & Josh Morriss Mathematics & Engineering Elementary Nash Elementary Spring Lake Park Elementary Wake Village Elementary 1985-86 National Blue Ribbon School Westlawn Elementary Waggoner Creek Elementary

Disciplinary Alternative School

Historical Census

1850 -- 2,912 —
1860 -- 5,052 73.5%
1870 -- 4,684 −7.3%
1880 -- 10,965 134.1%
1890 -- 20,267 84.8%
1900 -- 26,676 31.6%
1910 -- 34,827 30.6%
1920 -- 39,472 13.3%
1930 -- 48,563 23.0%
1940 -- 50,208 3.4%
1950 -- 61,966 23.4%
1960 -- 59,971 −3.2%
1970 -- 67,813 13.1%
1980 -- 75,301 11.0%
1990 -- 81,665 8.5%
2000 -- 89,306 9.4%
2010 -- 92,565 3.6%
Est. 2015 -- 93,389


County Resources

  • Bowie County Courthouse
  • Jail in Boston on National Register of Historic Places
  • Rialto Building, the Whitaker House,
  • Roseburough Lake Site.
  • Wright-Patman Lake covers 20,300 acres and 6 other major lakes
  • Museum in Texarkana
  • Zoo - Texarkana
Notables
Hardin Richard Runnels
Scott Joplin ragtime music composer

Cemeteries




Sources

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcb11
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowie_County,_Texas
  3. ↑ http://www.archive.org/stream/rhymeofsouthernr00moor#page/74/mode/2up
  4. ↑ http://www.texasescapes.com/EastTexasTowns/New-Boston-Texas-Bowie-County-Courthouse.htm#1891
  5. ↑ http://www.archive.org/stream/rhymeofsouthernr00moor#page/74/mode/2up
  6. ↑ wikipedia Bowie County
  7. ↑ wikipedia Bowie County
  8. ↑ wikipedia Bowie County




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