Jasper, Texas
| Jasper, Texas | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "Jewel Of The Forest"[1] | |
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| Coordinates: 30°55′20″N 93°59′56″W / 30.92222°N 93.99889°WCoordinates: 30°55′20″N 93°59′56″W / 30.92222°N 93.99889°W | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Jasper |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • City Council | Mayor Mike Lout Mayor Pro-Tem Raymond Hopson (District 4) Alton Scott (District 1) Randy M. Sayers (District 2) Hazel Johnson (District 3) Mitch McMillon (District 5 - At Large) |
| • City Manager | Tommy Boykin |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.4 sq mi (26.9 km2) |
| • Land | 10.3 sq mi (26.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 203 ft (62 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 8,247 |
| • Density | 797.4/sq mi (307.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC−6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−5) |
| ZIP code | 75951 |
| Area code(s) | 409 |
| FIPS code | 48-37420[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1360162[3] |
| Website | jaspertx.org |
Jasper is the county seat of Jasper County[4], Texas, in the United States. The population was 8,247 at the 2000 census and 7,714 at the 2010 census. Jasper is situated in the Deep East Texas subregion, about 130 miles (210 km) northeast of Houston. Jasper (aka "Butterfly Capital of Texas") holds an annual Butterfly Festival the first Saturday in October to celebrate the migration of the monarch butterflies.
Contents |
History[edit]
19th century[edit]
1820s[edit]
The area was settled around 1824 by John Bevil. 30 families occupied the settlement as early as 1830, when it was known as Snow River or Bevil's Settlement after John R. Bevil one of the earliest European-American settlers.[5]
1830s[edit]
In 1835, the town was renamed after William Jasper, a war hero from the American Revolution who was killed attempting to plant the American flag at the storming of Savannah in 1779.[6][7] Jasper became the county seat in 1844.
American Civil War[edit]
During the American Civil War, the town housed a Confederate quartermaster depot and served as a major center for Confederate communication, transportation, and supply. Jasper was a Confederate Army headquarters for a nine-county area. Following the war, Union troops occupied Jasper, camping in town square, and led by General George Custer.[8] The only known soldier of the American Revolution to be buried in Texas was Jasper resident Stephen Williams,[9] in whose honor a marker has been placed on the courthouse lawn.
1870s[edit]
Antebellum educational institutions included the Jasper Male and Female High School, which operated until 1878, when it became the Southeast Texas Male and Female College, and Jasper Collegiate Institute, which operated from 1851 until 1874. The population declined to 360 in 1870, reflecting the hardships of the Civil War, but by 1885 had risen to 1,000.
1890s[edit]
In 1896 Jasper had a population of 1,200. With the arrival of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway early in the twentieth century, Jasper grew into a center for the manufacture of timber products. Lumber from two sawmills, with a daily capacity of 125,000 board feet (295 m³), goods from basket and stave factories, logs, ties, poles, and pulpwood were shipped in 200 cars per month.
20th century[edit]
Jasper served as headquarters for the Lower Neches Valley Authority's construction program, including Dam "B" at Town Bluff and engineering and surveying for a dam at Magee Bend on the Angelina River.
1950s[edit]
Local farmers raised broiler chickens and beef, and in the 1950s turned to dairying. Jasper also became the headquarters of Morgan and Lindsey Incorporated, variety chain stores, which at one time operated 85 stores in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
1990s[edit]
In June 1998, the murder of James Byrd, Jr. catapulted Jasper into national news and led to the creation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
21st century[edit]
2000s[edit]
In 2000, Jasper had 8,247 residents and around 250 businesses.[10]
Jasper was also one of the primary locations for the recovery of the Space Shuttle Columbia wreckage in February 2003.
Jasper was greatly affected by Hurricane Rita on September 25, 2005 as it moved inland. It suffered considerable damage. The town was also left without power or drinkable water for about three and half weeks. Many residents[who?] of Jasper felt then, and still feel, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) overlooked them and the situation that Jasper and Jasper County were in. Even as late as mid-2007 there were still blue FEMA tarps in evidence on area roofs, as some people continued to await funding to make repairs.[citation needed]
2010s[edit]
Rodney Pearson, Jasper's first black highway patrolman, was appointed chief of police by the city council in April 2011, over the objection of Mayor Mike Lout. Efforts to recall Pearson and the city council members that voted for him resulted in the ouster of two black city council members in November 2011.[11] A subsequent campaign to recall Mayor Lout was defeated in May 2012 with Lout receiving 66% of the vote. The council voted to fire Chief Pearson in June 2012, with the lone dissenting council member calling the proceedings "racism at its finest."[12][13]
The Jasper Arboretum Project began in 2000 and the Outdoor Learning Center was added in 2012 to create 14 acres of public gardens, walking trails, a master gardener greenhouse and nature classroom. [14]
On May 3, 2013; The Jasper community wore Peace Love and Parson Blue shirts to show unprecedented support for Parson Blue, a little girl in need of a lung transplant, and her family.[15]
Geography[edit]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.4 square miles (27 km2), of which, 10.3 square miles (27 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.58%) is water.
Climate[edit]
| Climate data for Jasper | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 58.3 (14.6) |
63.4 (17.4) |
70.9 (21.6) |
78.7 (25.9) |
84.5 (29.2) |
89.8 (32.1) |
92.8 (33.8) |
93.3 (34.1) |
87.9 (31.1) |
80.5 (26.9) |
70.9 (21.6) |
62.4 (16.9) |
77.8 (25.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 46.9 (8.3) |
50.7 (10.4) |
58.4 (14.7) |
66.4 (19.1) |
72.5 (22.5) |
78.1 (25.6) |
80.8 (27.1) |
80.9 (27.2) |
75.5 (24.2) |
66.7 (19.3) |
58.2 (14.6) |
49.8 (9.9) |
65.4 (18.6) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 35.5 (1.9) |
38.0 (3.3) |
45.9 (7.7) |
54.0 (12.2) |
60.5 (15.8) |
66.3 (19.1) |
68.7 (20.4) |
68.3 (20.2) |
63.1 (17.3) |
52.7 (11.5) |
45.4 (7.4) |
37.2 (2.9) |
53.0 (11.7) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 4.4 (112) |
4.4 (112) |
4.4 (112) |
3.7 (94) |
5.6 (142) |
5.3 (135) |
3.8 (97) |
3.6 (91) |
4.1 (104) |
3.6 (91) |
4.6 (117) |
5.3 (135) |
52.7 (1,339) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
| Source: Weatherbase "Historical Weather for Jasper, TX".
"Jasper Climate". Weatherbase. Retrieved March 11, 2010. |
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Demographics[edit]
As of the census[16] of 2010, there were 7,590 people (compared with 8,247 people in the 2000 census)[2], 2,890 households, and 1,892 families residing in the city. The population density was 733.9 people per square mile (283.4/km²). There were 3,445 housing units at an average density of 333.1 per square mile (128.7/km²). The major racial and ethnic groups in the city, as a percentage of the total city population, were: 44.2% non-Hispanic African American; 41.9% non-Hispanic White; 10.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race; and 1.5% Asian, with the remaining 1.6% mainly consisting of non-Hispanic, two or more races. The Hispanic or Latino population was subdivided (as a percentage of total city population) into 5.9% other races, 3.9% white, 0.8% African American, and 1.1% in other categories, mainly two or more races.
There were 2,888 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 82.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.
Economy[edit]
The median income for a household in the city was $24,671, and the median income for a family was $32,242. Males had a median income of $28,432 versus $17,266 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,997. About 23.3% of families and 28.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.3% of those under age 18 and 23.3% of those age 65 or over. Due to the lack of viable employment locally these figures are not likely to get better in the future.
Parks and recreation[edit]
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, about 9 miles north of Jasper, is visited by thousands of vacationers each year and is the largest lake wholly within the state of Texas. Toledo Bend Reservoir is located a few miles east of Jasper. B. A. Steinhagen Lake is approximately 11 miles west.
Education[edit]
The city is served by Jasper Independent School District. Angelina College also has a satellite campus located here.
Media[edit]
Newspaper[edit]
A weekly newspaper, the Jasper Newsboy, has been published continuously since 1865. It is considered the oldest continuously published weekly newspaper in Texas.
Radio[edit]
Notable people[edit]
- Max Alvis, former Major League Baseball third baseman who played with the Cleveland Indians and the Milwaukee Brewers; born in Jasper.[17]
- Red Bryant, American football defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League; raised in Jasper.[18]
- Sean Weatherspoon, American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League; raised in Jasper.[19]
- Derick Armstrong, Canadian football wide receiver who plays for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League; born in Jasper.[20]
- Zack Bronson, former professional American football safety in the NFL, played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers; born in Jasper.[21]
- Phil Hennigan, former Major League Baseball pitcher, played for the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets; born in Jasper.[22]
- Roger Mobley, pastor in Jasper; child actor from the 1950s and 1960s
- Michael Sarver, singer/songwriter - American Idol Contestant[citation needed]
- James Byrd, Jr. (1949–1998), African-American who was dragged to death behind a pick-up truck in 1998
References[edit]
- ^ "Official Website of Jasper Texas". Official Website of Jasper Texas. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Jasper Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ TSHA Online – Texas State Historical Association
- ^ "Profile for Jasper, Texas, TX". ePodunk. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ Texas State Historical Commission. "Jasper County, C.S.A. Historical Marker".
- ^ "Stephen Williams". Texas State Cemetery. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ Jasper city, Texas – Population Finder – American FactFinder
- ^ "Racial Tensions Flare Anew in a Texas Town". The New York Times. June 21, 2012.
- ^ Hennessy-Fiske, Molly (July 9, 2012). "New battle opens Texas town's racial scars". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Stahl, Lori (June 15, 2012). "Racial tension still an issue in Jasper, Texas". The Washington Post.
- ^ Jasper AgriLife Extension Service. "Arboretum and Outdoor Learning Center".
- ^ KBMT-12 Beaumont, Texas 5 pm News Report May 2, 2013
- ^ "American FactFinder" United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
- ^ "Max Alvis". Baseball-Reference.Com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ "Red Bryant". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ "Sean Weatherspoon". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ "Derick Armstrong". databaseFootball.com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ "= Zack Bronson". databaseFootball.com. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
- ^ "Phil Hennigan Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jasper, Texas |
- Jasper city website
- Jasper County website
- Jasper/Lake Sam Rayburn Area Chamber of Commerce
- USGS Entry for Jasper, Texas <= Note: Link is apparently broken
- Two Towns of Jasper Point of View. PBS. January 22, 2003.
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, Texas , Texas
