Groesbeck, Texas
City in the United States in Limestone County
About Groesbeck
Groesbeck ( GROWS-beck) is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, Texas, United States. Located along Texas State Highway 14 and Texas State Highway 164, it sits in the northern part of the Texas Triangle. Its population was 3,631 at the 2020 census.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Groesbeck is governed
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Groesbeck
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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- Website
- cityofgroesbeck.com
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Population over time
From 402 in 1880 to 3,631 in 2020 (+803.2%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 3,631 |
| 2010 | 4,328 |
| 1880 | 402 |
History
The Tawakoni, who are part of the Wichita people, are attested to be living between the Trinity and Brazos Rivers since at least 1768.
European colonization
Limestone County was a part of the empresario grants given out by the government of Coahuila y Tejas, with Haden Edwards given permission to settle an area including most of Limestone County in 1825, but the Mexican government legally forbade Anglo-Americans from settling into Mexican Texas after the Law of April 6, 1830. Settlement continued, however, including in 1833, when a group of Anglos from Illinois settled Fort Parker, the earliest known European settlement in the vicinity. Numerous Mexican and Anglo settlers made land claims in the area before 1836. After 1836, due in part to the Fort Parker massacre and ongoing violence in between settlers and natives in Limestone County, the newly established Republic of Texas forbade new settlement until the Treaty of Tehuacana Creek in 1844. In the mid-1840s, two more towns were founded before on April 11, 1846, Limestone County was formed from Robertson's Colony, with Springfield being named county seat. As of 1860, its population was 3,464 Whites, 1,072 slaves, and a free Black woman. In 1861, 98% of voters in Limestone County voted to secede and join the Confederate States of America.
Fort Parker
Fort Parker State Park, located north of Groesbeck, is preserved to tell the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was captured by Comanches, and became the mother of Quanah Parker, the last Comanche chief.
Reconstruction
After the Civil War, in June 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation was read from the front porch of the largest slaveholder in the county, Logan Stroud, who held over 150 people in bondage. Four future African-American Texas legislators were freed in Limestone County that day, Ralph Long, Sheppard Mullins, and David Medlock Jr., and Giles Cotton, who were freed from Stroud's estate.
"Ecstasy! Banjos twanged as couples danced and women laughed and children shouted. Grown men wept and jubilation reigned. Release! Liberty! Deliverance!"
Juneteenth has been celebrated since then in Booker T. Washington Park along Lake Mexia, with early crowds reaching 20,000 as they listened to passionate speeches by local preachers and politicians. Separately, White veterans of the Civil War began their own summer gathering nearby at Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site, with theirs peaking at 5,000 in attendance.
During the Reconstruction era, Limestone County experienced heightened racial tensions. In June 1867, Limestone County was assigned a Freedmen's Bureau agent, who was shot and killed within 6 months of his arrival. In October 1872, a Mexican man, accused of theft, was lynched by several vigilantes in Groesbeck.
Groesbeck Riot of 1871
On September 30, 1871, in Groesbeck, two Black police officers went to arrest a White man committing a crime, when the White man pulled out a gun, and was then shot and killed in a firefight. The police officers, understanding the immediate threat to their lives, fled to the mayor's office. Soon after the town had gathered around the scene, a man rode in on horseback claiming "one-hundred armed blacks" were heading towards Groesbeck. The mayor, Adolph Zadek, was threatened with his life by a mob of armed Whites to call all citizens to arms and to issue arrest warrants for the two Black officers. Shortly after, the mob appointed a new mayor and used their new-found authority to expropriate 30 weapons from a local store. At this point, the mob numbered about 600-800 men. The two Black police officers escaped the mob, but were arrested the next morning and put under the protection of the state guard. Blacks were prevented from voting in Limestone County during this period due to threats of violence, but this was especially relevant in the election of 1871, which occurred just a few days later on October 3.
"Words had passed through the county that Blacks and [Republicans] would be killed if they attempted to vote. Blacks who did go to the polls were told to go home." Communication with the capital were slow since riotous citizens cut the telegraph lines.
Having finally heard news of what was taking place, Governor Edmund J. Davis petitioned the US Department of War for aid, and General John F. Reynolds personally responded. Governor Davis also placed Limestone County under martial law and sent the state police captain and a major general commanding a combined force of hundreds of armed men, although by the time they arrived, the elections had passed. The state faced resistance from local officials, but the rioting was calmed by this show of force. On November 6, the Texas House of Representatives voted that the declaration of martial law was illegal, and civil authority was restored on November 9, 1871.
Early days
The Houston and Texas Central Railway extended from Houston to Groesbeck by the end of 1870. Groesbeck was incorporated in April 1871, and by the end of 1872, Groesbeck had rail connections to Waco and Dallas, and trains on the way from St. Louis to Houston began passing through in 1880. Springfield was bypassed by the railroad and the courthouse burned down in 1873, so Groesbeck was made county seat in 1874. Railroads in the late 19th century were a booming industry. The end of reconstruction and the advent of the railroad began an era of growth for the county. The population in Limestone County was 9,000 in 1870, and 32,000 in 1900. Groesbeck itself grew from 663 to 1,462 between 1890 and 1900.
Discovery of oil and natural gas
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.