Groesbeck ( ) 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.
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. 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. 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. 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
In 1912, natural gas was discovered in the Mexia-Groesbeck area, and finding oil in the area also was thought to be possible. In October 1920, Col. A.E. Humphreys completed an oil well begun by the Mexia Oil and Gas Company and discovered oil at a depth of 3100 feet. A proper well was set up and producing 4000 barrels a day by the summer of 1921. The discovery was notable because it was the first discovery of oil fields formed by the Cenomanian-era Woodbine Group geologic formation. This encouraged future exploration in the Woodbine sand, leading to the discovery of many other Woodbine fields, including the giant East Texas Oil Field, which was discovered in 1930.
The oil discovery brought wealth to the area, but in Groesbeck, natural gas was more commonly extracted due to the lack of suitable oil deposits. After 1922 however, production of oil and natural gas declined rapidly. By 1927 most of the heavy oil extraction was finished in Limestone county, but the formations remain useful for paleobiologists.
The oil boom led to many trusses being built in the area. This type of bridge, popular among Texans in the early 20th century, is a rare sight now. Seven trusses, all built in the 1920s, survive in their original locations in Limestone County as of 2025.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression had a major effect on Groesbeck. In 1930, the population of Limestone County had reached its peak of nearly 40,000, with over 6,000 farms. By 1940, however, that had fallen to 34,000 people and 3,400 farms, and the number of businesses was cut in half.
:“We are building the housing units because we have many citizens who are living in substandard housing. We have many retired people and other old-age citizens who are virtually living in slum areas.” - Mayor George Koch
In 1979, NRG Energy proposed construction of a $1.6 billion coal-burning power plant near Groesbeck. It finished construction in 1985. The power plant increased the tax base and brought many jobs to Groesbeck. Between 1985 and 1989, Groesbeck ISD spent $18 million constructing new elementary and high schools, After 1993, the Texas Legislature enacted the Robin Hood plan, which redistributes the taxes earned from the power plant more equitably across Texas school districts.
Geography
Groesbeck is located at (31.522907, –96.532125).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , almost all land (0.27% covered by water).
The community is located at the junction of State Highways 14 and 164.
Groesbeck is the closest town to historic Old Fort Parker. The fort holds an annual Christmas event at the site every December. The original fort has been rebuilt on the original site to the original specifications.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Groesbeck had a population of 3,631 and a median age of 37.0 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.1 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,233 households in Groesbeck, of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.3% were married-couple households, 15.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 1,450 housing units, of which 15.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.0%.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 2,216 || 61.0%
|-
| Black or African American || 719 || 19.8%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 33 || 0.9%
|-
| Asian || 34 || 0.9%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 361 || 9.9%
|-
| Two or more races || 268 || 7.4%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 846 || 23.3%
|}
2010 census
At the 2010 census, 4,328 people, 1,286 households, and 864 families lived in the city. The population density was 989 people/sq mi (382/km). The 1,473 housing units averaged 336.8/s mi (130/km). The racial makeup of the city was 65.36% White, 20.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 11.3% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 20.9%. The five current city council members are Tamika Jackson, Warren Anglin, Kim Harris, Sonia Selvera, and Lee Cox.
The main source of water for the city is the Navasota River.
Library
The city of Groesbeck has one public library, located at 601 W. Yeagua St., also known as Texas SH 164.
Education
The city of Groesbeck is served by the Groesbeck Independent School District, which includes five schools:
- Preschool
- H.O. Whitehurst
- Enge Washington
- Groesbeck Middle School
- Groesbeck High School
Notable people
- Joe Don Baker, actor, was born in Groesbeck in 1936.
- Larry Dossey, physician, was born Groesbeck in 1940.
- Lafayette L. Foster, president of the A&M College of Texas, politician, and journalist, lived and was elected in Groesbeck.
- Clay Hammond, R&B singer and songwriter, was born in Groesbeck in 1936.
- John E. Hatley, a former master sergeant in the United States Army, is serving a 40-year sentence in the Fort Leavenworth Disciplinary Barracks for the murder of four Iraqi detainees. He attended high school in Groesbeck.
- Lenoy Jones, a National Football League (NFL) player, played for Groesbeck High School.
- Garland Roark, author (Wake of the Red Witch), was born in Groesbeck.
- Kenneth Sims, first overall selection in the 1982 NFL draft ad inducted into College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021, played for Groesbeck High School.
- Frankie Smith, an NFL player, played for Groesbeck High School.
- John Westbrook was the first African American to play football in the Southwest Conference; he was born in Groesbeck in 1947.