Hemphill is a city in and the county seat of Sabine County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,029 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Sabine County. It is located on State Highway 87 at the junction of State Highway 184, and is surrounded by the Sabine National Forest and the Toledo Bend Reservoir.

Historical development

In 1858 the Sabine County voters elected to move the county seat from Milam, in the east along the Sabine River, to a more central part of the county. The following year, the plans for the town were laid down, with the post office opening as well. The Town was named after John Hemphill, an early Texas judge and legal scholar, and later a United States senator.

The location was ideal in terms of being centrally located in relation to other settlements, but it initially had poor transportation access, as it was neither located on the Sabine River or existing rail lines. In 1912, the Lufkin, Hemphill and Gulf Railway provided Hemphill with rail connections. This construction also supported nearby lumber operations. After the timber was depleted and sawmills closed in these communities, by 1938 the line would be abandoned.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.66%) is water.

Hemphill is 484 miles (as the crow flies) from Hemphill County (which is in the northern Panhandle). This is the largest separation of a Texas city from a Texas county of the same name.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Hemphill had a population of 1,029 and a median age of 47.6 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.8 males age 18 and over.

There were 412 households in Hemphill, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.6% were married-couple households, 22.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of these households, 313 were families.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 811 || 78.8%

|-

| Black or African American || 118 || 11.5%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 3 || 0.3%

|-

| Asian || 16 || 1.6%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 29 || 2.8%

|-

| Two or more races || 52 || 5.1%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 77 || 7.5%

|}

2000 census

As of the 2000 census

Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

In February 2003, the town and its vicinity were one of the key search areas for wreckage from the Space Shuttle Columbia after it broke up over Texas. Search teams recovered some of the remains of the shuttle and crew members, and the Orbiter Experiment Support System recorder (OEX) was found near Hemphill.

A memorial has been erected in Hemphill commemorating the deceased Columbia astronauts. The memorial is located at the intersection of Hwy 87 North and Hwy 83 East.

On the eighth anniversary of the disaster, the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA "Remembering Columbia" Museum was opened in Hemphill on February 1, 2011, in a new building constructed next to the J.R. Huffman Public Library. The museum is named for the late wife of philanthropist Al Smith, who donated most of the money to build the museum. The Sugar Land real estate developer also exports construction materials. He and his wife had also donated money for the library a decade before. The new museum features the permanent "NASA Remembering Columbia" exhibit. It includes many items donated by area families who worked on the search for remains, as well as items from families of the astronauts, and official material from NASA, which operates the museum.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Hemphill has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

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Image:Downtown Hemphill Wiki 2 (1 of 1).jpg|Downtown Hemphill

Image:Downtown Hemphill Wiki 1 (1 of 1).jpg|Downtown Hemphill

Image:Sabine County Courthouse Hemphill Wiki (1 of 1).jpg|Sabine County Courthouse

Image:Sabine County Jail Hemphill Wiki (1 of 1).jpg|Sabine County Jail

Image:Downtown Hemphill Wiki 3 (1 of 1).jpg|Downtown Hemphill

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See also

  • List of municipalities in Texas

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Howard Swindle, Deliberate Indifference (Viking, 1993), is a non-fiction book about the Loyal Garner, Jr. killing and subsequent trials.
  • RACE AND JUSTICE: A KILLING IN EAST TEXAS - A SPECIAL REPORT.; Death as a Ripple in Deep Racial Current
  • Find a Case THOMAS E. LADNER & JAMES HYDEN v. STATE TEXAS (12/31/93)
  • City of Hemphill Cemetery deceased records and online map at Chronicle Cemetery Map