thumb|right|[[Hall County Courthouse (Texas)]]

Memphis is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Memphis had a population of 2,048.

History

Memphis, Texas, the county seat of Hall County, is at the junction of U.S. Highway 287, State Highway 256, and Farm to Market Road 1547, in the northeastern part of the county. It started in 1889, when J. C. Montgomery purchased land for a townsite north of Salisbury on the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway. This land had been previously owned by W. H. Robertson, who had a dugout near Parker Creek. Montgomery and Robertson, with Rev. J. W. Brice and T. J. Woods, Jr., of Dallas, formed a townsite company and presented a plat early in January 1890. P. M. Kelly opened a law office. A rooming house (later the Memphis Hotel), a general store, a drugstore, and several residences were soon erected. For a time, the new town was without a name. Several suggestions were submitted to federal postal authorities, but with negative results. Finally, as the story goes, Reverend Brice, while in Austin, happened to see a letter addressed by accident to Memphis, Texas, rather than Tennessee, with the notation "no such town in Texas". The name was submitted and accepted, and a post office was established on September 12, 1890, with Robertson as postmaster.

In the meantime, Hall County was being organized. Memphis was engaged in a heated county seat battle with neighboring Salisbury and Lakeview. Memphis won the election with a total of 84 votes. County officers were elected in June, and a school district was subsequently formed. Since Memphis was without a depot and trains did not stop there, certain citizens sought to remedy that situation by smearing the tracks with lye soap. A subsequent agreement was struck between town promoters and railroad officials. In 1891, a depot was built, and businesses were moved on wheels from Salisbury to the new county seat, where a courthouse of homemade bricks was constructed in 1892.

Memphis thus enjoyed a boom period. Two saloons, a bank, numerous stores, blacksmith shops, and livery stables attested to its role as a shipping and trading center for area ranchers and farmers. The Missionary Baptist Church was organized in Memphis; its minister Rev. J. L. Pyle began Baptist congregations throughout the county. Telephone service was first installed in 1901. In June 1906, the town was incorporated with a mayor-council form of city government. The Memphis Cotton Oil Mill was established in 1907. Memphis had at one time or another several newspapers, including the Hall County Record (1889–1893), the Hall County Herald (1890–1928), the Memphis Journal (1892–1894), the Memphis Times (1896), the Memphis Leader (1897–1899), the Hall County News (1897–1903), and the Memphis News (1928–1929). The only newspaper extant in 1986, the Memphis Democrat, was launched in 1908 and went through a succession of owners. By the 1920s, Memphis had a new brick-and-stone courthouse, modern utilities, a cotton compress, three hotels, brick school buildings, and a Carnegie Library. In 1922, the city's Morning Side addition was founded east of the tracks as a residential area for blacks who labored in the cotton fields and mills. In 1935, E. M. Ewen and his wife formed the Hall County Old Settlers' Reunion (later the Hall County Picnic Association). Four years later, they staged a rodeo as part of the annual two-day celebration.

Since the Great Depression era, Memphis has continued as a farm supply center. In 1986, the city had a cotton compress, gins, a grain elevator, two banks, eight churches, four public schools, a modern medical complex, two motels, several mercantile stores (including three wholesale houses), and a municipal airport northeast of town. In addition, Memphis is noted for its tree-lined streets, city park, one swimming pool, community center, and 50 blocks of brick paving laid in 1926. Brookhollow Country Club Lake, a private fishing lake with cabin sites, is six miles northeast of the city. Heritage Hall, which occupies the old First National Bank building on the square, contains local history displays and natural science exhibits. The population was 3,332 in 1960 and 3,352 in 1980. Memphis reported 81 businesses in 1984. United States Congressman Jack Hightower comes from Memphis. The route of the annual Cotton Boll Enduro, a 125-mile cross-country motorcycle event held in late October, begins and ends at Memphis. In 1990 Memphis had a population of 2,465. The population was 2,479 in 2000 and 2,290 in 2010.

The county was named after Warren D.C. Hall, who served as Secretary of War while Texas was a republic. He was a lawyer from North Carolina before coming to Texas.

A timeline of significant events in Memphis' history:

1889: Land was bought along the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway

1890: Townsite platted, yet names were rejected by postal authorities until September of that year<br />

1891: Memphis wins contested election for county seat against towns of Salisbury and Lakeview<br />

1891: Depot built after Memphians kept putting soap on rails to stop trains<br />

1892: Courthouse constructed<br />

1901: Memphis gets telephone service<br />

1906: Town is incorporated<br />

1912: Memphis gets its own Carnegie Library<br />

1923: New courthouse built<br />

1926: 50 blocks of streets are paved with brick<br />

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2013 Civil rights case

In September 2013, a federal suit was filed by Laura Dutton, alleging that the cities of Estelline and Memphis, former Officer Jayson Fry and Memphis Police Chief Chris Jolly violated her Fourth Amendment rights against illegal search and seizure when she was arrested November 28, 2012, in Estelline on a felony money-laundering charge, seizing more than $29,000 from her pickup and illegally keeping $1,400 of her cash. The city of Estelline maintained no written records of past searches or seizures, yet traffic fines and forfeitures made up more than 89% of its gross revenues in fiscal year 2012. The cities and the officers denied her claims, but in July 2014, the city of Estelline and Hall County authorities settled with Dutton for $77,500.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Hall County Seat, Texas Panhandle<br />

Hwy 287 and State Hwy 256,<br />

28 miles SE of Clarendon<br />

64 miles SE of Amarillo<br />

29 miles NE of Childress<br />

14 miles NE of Estelline,<br />

Population: 2,290 (2010)

Climate

The Köppen climate classification subtype for Memphis, Texas, is BSk, semiarid climate, on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, Memphis had a population of 2,048 people living in 891 households, 628 of which were families. The median age was 45.4 years, with 23.4% of residents under the age of 18 and 23.8% aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.3 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

Of the 891 households in Memphis, 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them; 44.3% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 1,301 || 63.5%

|-

| Black or African American || 172 || 8.4%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 8 || 0.4%

|-

| Asian || 7 || 0.3%

|-

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

|-

| Some other race || 295 || 14.4%

|-

| Two or more races || 265 || 12.9%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 762 || 37.2%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

Kelton Gray Seliger is a Republican member of the Texas State Senate representing District 31, which stretches from the Panhandle to the Permian Basin.

Republican Drew Springer, Jr., a businessman from Muenster in Cooke County, has since January 2013 represented Memphis in the Texas House of Representatives.

Education

Memphis is served by the Memphis Independent School District.

Clarendon College – Childress Center is located about 29 miles southeast in Childress, Texas. Clarendon College is a community college located around 28 miles northeast in Clarendon, the seat of Donley County in the Texas Panhandle. The college operates branch campuses in Pampa and Childress.

As defined by the Texas Legislature, Hall County is in the service area of Clarendon College.

Media

Radio

  • KCTX-AM
  • KCTX-FM
  • KLSR-FM

Newspaper

  • The Hall County Herald

Owner: Blackburn Media Group Inc<br />

Founded: 1890, (previously known as the Memphis Democrat)<br />

<!-- Web site: not found at last check<br />

-->Shari Watson is the editor of the Hall County Herald<br />

Mailing address: 617 W. Main, Memphis, TX 79245–3703

  • The Red River Sun

Owner: Blackburn Media Group Inc<br />

Founded: July, 2014, (previously the Childress Index)<br />

Ginger Wilson is the editor of the Red River Sun<br />

Mailing address: PO Box 1260, Childress, TX 79201<br />

  • Clarendon Enterprise

Owner: Roger A. Estlack<br />

Founded: 1878, (as the Clarendon News)<br />

Roger A. Estlack is the editor of the Clarendon Enterprise<br />

Mailing address: PO Box 1110, Clarendon, TX 79226-1110<br />

  • Amarillo Globe-News

Owner: Morris Communications LLC <br />

Founded: 1909, (as the Amarillo Daily News)<br />

Darci Heiskell is the editor of the Amarillo Globe-News<br />

Mailing address: 900 S. Harrison, Amarillo, TX 79101<br />

Web Site: Amarillo Globe-News: Local News, Politics & Sports in Amarillo, TX

  • Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Owner: Morris Communications LLC <br />

Founded: 1900<br />

James Bennett is the editor of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal<br />

Mailing address: 710 Ave. J, Lubbock, TX 79401<br />

Web Site: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Local News, Politics & Sports in Lubbock, TX

Television

  • 2 KACV

PBS<br />

City: Amarillo, Texas<br />

Owner: Amarillo Junior College<br />

Web Site: kacv.org<br />

Station Info: Digital Educational Full-Power

  • 4 KAMR

NBC ID: "KAMR Local 4 News"<br />

City: Amarillo, TX<br />

Owner: Nexstar Media Group<br />

Web Site: KAMR – MyHighPlains.com<br />

Station Info: Digital Full-Power

  • 7 KVII

ABC ID: "ABC 7 News"<br />

City: Amarillo, TX<br />

Owner: Sinclair Broadcast Group<br />

Web Site: Amarillo News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News<br />

Station Info: Digital Full-Power

  • 10 KFDA

CBS ID: "NewsChannel 10"<br />

City: Amarillo, TX<br />

Owner: Raycom Media<br />

Web Site: Home – KFDA – NewsChannel 10 / Amarillo News, Weather, Sports<br />

Station Info: Digital Full-Power

  • 14 KCIT

FOX ID: "KCIT Fox 14"<br />

City: Amarillo, TX<br />

Owner: Mission Broadcasting (operated by Nexstar Media Group<br />

Web Site: KAMR – MyHighPlains.com<br />

Station Info: Digital full-power

Events

Memphis is home to the Annual Traditional Bowhunters 3D target competition and Annual Country Club Memorial Day Tournament. The 3D competition is a group of targets set up along the plainsman archery club course. Bowhunters compete against each other scoring points for accuracy. This competition is held on the first weekend in May. The Country Club holds an annual golf tournament on Memorial Day.

Notable people

  • Larry Combest, U.S. Representative from 1985 to 2003
  • Jack English Hightower, Democrat, U.S. Representative from 1975 to 1985
  • Warren D.C. Hall, served as Secretary of War while Texas was a republic
  • Lou Wills Hildreth, American Southern gospel performer, songwriter, talent agent and television host
  • Blues Boy Willie, blues singer

<gallery widths=200px>

Image:Memphis highway sign IMG 0670.JPG|2000 Incorporation sign

Image:Mem. street IMG 0672.JPG|Downtown Memphis

Image:Les Sims Memorial Park in Memphis, TX IMG 0674.JPG|Les Sims Memorial Park

</gallery>

References

  • Hall County Memories