Tennessee Colony, Texas
Unincorporated community in Anderson County · Not an incorporated municipality
About Tennessee Colony
Tennessee Colony is an unincorporated community in Anderson County, in the U.S. state of Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 300 in 2000. It is located within the Palestine, Texas micropolitan area.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Tennessee Colony is governed
Tennessee Colony appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from Anderson County and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Tennessee Colony does have local officials.
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0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Tennessee Colony
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
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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
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
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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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History
Tennessee Colony was established in 1847 by settlers from Tennessee and Alabama, who named their settlement for one of their home states. The first settlers who settled in the community had the last names Shelton, Avant, Hank, and Seagler. The community's fertile soil and moist climate made it feasible to grow cotton, and several plantations were established, including the Jackson Plantation, which, at one time, was one of the largest plantations in East Texas. They were extremely successful. A post office was established at Tennessee Colony in 1852. Before the Civil War, as well as after, the community fell victim to racial tensions. Two white men from Mississippi named Cable and Wyrick were accused of plotting a slave uprising in 1860, suspected of encouraging slaves to kill most of the community's white residents by poisoning the water supply in the settlement. They were tried and hanged soon after. The nearby city of Palestine had the community's first railroad built there. As of 1884, Tennessee Colony boasted a population of 200 and three churches, a steam-powered gristmill, and a cotton gin. As the community's businesses moved to the nearby city of Palestine, the community's population plummeted over the next few decades. There were a few grocers and cotton gins in the area, and it eventually received a telephone connection. It functioned as a small cultural port in the 20th century. The population declined to just 100 people by 1914, rose again to 300 in 1927, but again declined during the 1930s. In 1941 there were 150 people in Tennessee Colony. A total of 21,000 acres of land was purchased just southwest of the settlement by the Texas Department of Corrections in 1965, and the first medium-security prison facility named the Coffield Unit was built in the community and held approximately 2,000 prisoners. It reached its population zenith of 400 by that year. Then the Beto Unit, the community's second prison, was finished in 1984. There were factories built for fabricating metal, as well as building concrete blocks and highway signs, in these prison facilities. It also had thriving agricultural and livestock operations. It had a steady population of 120 from the 1970s to 1990. It had a population of 300 in 2000. It currently has two historical markers, with one honoring the community, and the other commemorating the community's cemetery.
It was reported that the community's first businesses included a general store, a blacksmith shop, and a cabinet shop. Cotton was shipped on a ferry on the Trinity River. The community traded goods to cities as far as Dallas. Circuit riders held church services in their homes before the first log church was built, presumably in 1838. Another was built later on. A Masonic lodge was established in 1857. Another building that was used as a church, a school, and lodge was completed in 1860 and closed in 1948. Most of the community's current residents are descendants of the original settlers.
Although Tennessee Colony is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 75861.
On November 15, 2015, a deadly mass shooting took place at a campsite between Tennessee Colony and Palestine, where six people were killed by an intoxicated neighbor upset about losing his family's land. The shooter, William Mitchell Hudson, was charged with capital murder and was sentenced to death by a Brazos County court on November 15, 2017.
The Los Mexicles street gang was founded in the community.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.