Carthage, Texas

Carthage is a city in and the county seat of Panola County, Texas, United States. The city is situated in deep East Texas, west of the Louisiana state line. Its population was 6,569 at the 2020 census.

History

thumb|200px|left|Carthage welcome sign

Carthage was founded in 1847, two years after Texas was admitted to the United States. During the Civil War, men from Carthage and Panola County served as Confederate soldiers. African-American resident Milton M. Holland, formerly enslaved, served as a Union sergeant and earned a Medal of Honor.

After the Civil War, population growth was slow, but large amounts of cotton, corn, sweet potatoes, oats, and sugarcane were produced in the county. The city began to expand in 1888 when a railroad reached Carthage, along with telegraph and telephone lines.

During the Great Depression, a gas field was discovered near Carthage. After World War II, this gas field was developed and proved to be the largest in the United States. The city flourished, with the population increasing from about 1,300 to 5,000. During this period, a courthouse and a high school were built. In 1947 Panola County Junior College was established in Carthage and founded KGAS-AM 1590 which began broadcasting in 1955.

As a result of 19.6% population growth between 1970 and 1980, documented by U.S. Decennial Census; Panola General Hospital was established in 1997. Today the ETMC Carthage operates a 24-hour emergency department which is designated a Level IV trauma center by the state of Texas.

On August 22, 1998 the Tex Ritter Museum in Carthage was the site for the grand opening of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to country music and born in the state of Texas.

On September 16, 1998 KGAS-FM began broadcasting a country music format in Carthage, and was featured in "Bernie", the 2011 American biographical black comedy crime film directed by Richard Linklater.

1996 murder of Marjorie Nugent

thumb|left|Central [[Baptist Church in downtown Carthage]]

After losing her husband, widow Marjorie Nugent, an 81-year-old resident of Carthage, became friends with Bernie Tiede, the assistant funeral director in town. In late 1996, townspeople did not see her, but thought perhaps she had moved to join her out-of-town family. When the family could not reach her, they filed a missing-person's report. Nine months after her death, her friend and companion, 39-year-old Bernie Tiede, was brought in for questioning by police and confessed to killing her. He claimed she had emotionally abused him.

He shot her four times in the back with a .22 rifle in November 1996. A mortician, he cleaned her body and placed it in a freezer in her house, where it was not discovered until 1997. Tiede continued his community activities for several months after her death. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. After a habeas corpus challenge, he was paroled on a $10,000 bond in 2014, but in 2016, Tiede had a resentencing hearing, and was sentenced to 99 years to life.

Free Speech Lawsuit

On September 20, 2024, Jeff Gray was issued with a criminal trespass notice and removed from City Hall for holding a sign that said "God Bless the Homeless Vets" and for vocalizing this message to those passing by him. On April 13, 2026 Gray, through counsel, sent a demand letter to the City offering to settle his federal civil rights claim.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Carthage has a total area of , of which are land and (0.4%) is covered by water.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Carthage has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Carthage had a population of 6,569. The median age was 39.2 years, 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18, and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.6 males age 18 and over.

95.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,612 households and 1,739 families in Carthage; 32.5% of households had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41.4% were married-couple households, 17.3% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 36.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Percent

| White || 64.3%

| Black or African American || 19.5%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 1.0%

| Asian || 0.9%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0.1%

| Some other race || 5.7%

| Two or more races || 8.6%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 15.4%

2010 census

As of the census

The city also has the two-year community college of Panola College located adjacent Carthage City Hall.

All of Panola County is in the service area of Panola College.

Media

Carthage is served by two local radio stations: KGAS 1590 AM and KGAS 104.3 FM, and by a local newspaper, The Panola Watchman. The nearest media market of notable size is in nearby Shreveport, Louisiana.

Transportation

Roads

U.S Highways

, runs north to south through Carthage. To the north, US Highway 59 goes through Marshall. To the south, US Highway 59 goes through Tenaha.
, runs east to west through Carthage. To the east, US Highway 79 goes through DeBerry and to the west the highway goes through Henderson.

State Highways

, runs around the west side of Carthage. To the north, Texas State Highway 149 runs through Beckville and to Longview.
, runs northeast to southwest through Carthage. To the southwest, Texas State Highway 315 runs Clayton to Mount Enterprise.

Farm to Market Roads

, runs south to north to Carthage. To the south, Farm to Market Road 699 goes through Old Center.
, runs south to north to Carthage. To the south, Farm to Market Road 10 goes through Gary City.
Philip Humber is an American former professional baseball
Mildred Fay Jefferson was the first American black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School;
Derek Wayne Johnson is an American film director and 3rd Level Black Belt in the art of American Karate
Margie Neal was a newspaper publisher and first American woman elected to Texas State Senate in 1926
Jim Reeves was an American country and popular music singer-songwriter known as "Gentleman Jim"
Brandon Rhyder is an American Texas Country/Red Dirt singer
Tex Ritter was an American actor from the mid 1930s into the 1960s and a pioneer of American country music
Jack Boynton Strong was an American politician and lawyer who served in the Texas Senate between 1963 and 1971
Bernie Tiede is formerly a mortician convicted of murdering widow Marjorie Nugent
Keaontay Ingram is an NFL professional football Running Back
Ja'Marcus Ingram is an NFL Defensive Back for the Buffalo Bills
Moochie Dixon is an NFL wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints

Image gallery

File:Carthage July 2017 01 (Esquire).jpg|The Esquire Theater in Carthage hosts Country music on Saturday evenings.

Image:First State Bank and Trust Co., Carthage, TX IMG 2951.JPG|First State Bank and Trust Company in downtown Carthage

File:Carthage July 2017 20 (Anderson Park gazebo).jpg|Anderson Park is located in the center of downtown Carthage.

Image:Historical Colored Town, Carthage, TX IMG 2944.JPG|Historical marker commemorating Colored Town, a black business section that had its prime from 1940 to 1965, from East Panola to Live Oak streets