Hearne ( ) is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,544. The city is named for a family who settled in the area in the 19th century and promoted the construction of rail lines through the city.
History
Founding
Hearne is located on land that initially belonged to politician and soldier José Francisco Ruiz. By the 1840s, a tavern was located there, and it also served as a general store and post office. The Hearne family moved to the area in the 1850s, purchasing 10,000 acres and operating cotton plantations. Christopher C. Hearne wanted a railroad line built through the area, but the Civil War started before the railroad could be constructed. His widow later gave 700 acres to the Houston and Texas Central Railway.
With the construction of a depot in Hearne in 1868, businesses began to open, including a hotel, saloons, churches, and a cotton gin. Two rail lines met in Hearne by the 1870s. Hearne's population was 2,129 in 1900 and 3,511 in 1940. Between 1943 and 1946, a prison camp operating near the city limits held several thousand German prisoners of war. Agricultural and manufacturing businesses came to Hearne by the 1960s. By 1990, over 5,000 people lived in Hearne; the population was 4,690 in 2000. Merchants in downtown Hearne by that time had already folded their businesses because they were unable to compete with Wal-Mart. The New York Times reported that out of more than 1,500 Wal-Mart stores in the nation, the Hearne store was one of six that had closed.
On May 11, 2005, the ACLU and Robertson County announced a confidential settlement of the lawsuit, an outcome with which "both sides stated that they were satisfied." District Attorney John Paschall dismissed the charges against the plaintiffs of the suit. He also admitted that the witness had tampered with evidence and failed a polygraph test.
A movie, American Violet, was made about the incident.
Shooting of Pearlie Golden
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In May 2014, protesters demonstrated against the shooting of a 93-year-old woman named Pearlie Golden by the Hearne Police Department.
The officer had been on the police force since 2012, and it was his second fatal shooting. Stem was placed on leave and Hearne Mayor Ruben Gomez recommended Stem's firing. He was terminated by a unanimous city council vote. Stem's attorney said that some community members had turned a safety issue into one focused on age, race, and gender. Hearne was subjected to heavy flooding on May 13, 2004 when of rain fell in an hour.
Demographics
Hearne is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area.
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 1,406 || 30.9%
|-
| Black or African American || 1,768 || 38.9%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 39 || 0.9%
|-
| Asian || 10 || 0.2%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 6 || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 809 || 17.8%
|-
| Two or more races || 506 || 11.1%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,786 || 39.3%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Hearne had a population of 4,544. The median age was 35.0 years. 28.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older.
For every 100 females there were 90.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.8 males age 18 and over.
There were 1,668 households in Hearne, of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.5% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Images
<gallery class="center" widths="180px">
HearneCityHall (1 of 1).jpg|Hearne City Hall
Hearne TX - downtown with water tower.jpg|Downtown Hearne
First Star Bank in Hearne, TX IMG 2267.JPG|First Star Bank is located in Hearne off Texas State Highway 6 south.
Hearne, TX, High School IMG 2264.JPG|Hearne High School occupies the former Wal-Mart building.
</gallery>
References
External links
- City of Hearne
- Hearne Chamber of Commerce
- Frontline's documentary The Plea