Upshur County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 40,892. The county seat is Gilmer. The county is named for Abel P. Upshur, who was U.S. secretary of state during President John Tyler's administration.

Upshur County is part of the Longview, Texas metropolitan statistical area, and the Longview–Marshall, combined statistical area.

History

Humans have inhabited what is now Upshur County since at least 10,000 years ago. The Caddoan people lived in this area, but were driven out about 1750, probably due to losses from new infectious diseases carried chronically by Europeans.

Later, some Cherokee migrated to the area from their territories in the Southeast – Georgia and Alabama. The Cherokee were driven out of here by European-American settlers in 1839, after having been removed from the Southeast.

The first European-American settler in Upshur County was probably Isaac Moody, who settled there in 1836.

In 1919, Chilton Jennings, a 28-year-old African-American man, was lynched in Gilmer’s town square by a mob of about 1,000 White residents.

On March 21, 2022, Upshur County was hit by an EF-2 tornado, with winds reported as high as 135 mph. Extensive damage was reported, but no fatalities. This tornado was a part of the tornado outbreak of March 21–23, 2022.

Geography

thumb|Upshur County Courthouse

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (1.6%) are covered by water.

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 80
  • 25px U.S. Highway 259
  • 25px U.S. Highway 271
  • 20px State Highway 154
  • 20px State Highway 155
  • 20px State Highway 300

<!--* 20px 20px Loop 49-->

Adjacent counties

  • Camp County (north)
  • Morris County (northeast)
  • Marion County (east)
  • Harrison County (southeast)
  • Gregg County (south)
  • Smith County (southwest)
  • Wood County (west)

Communities

Cities

  • Clarksville City (mostly in Gregg County)
  • East Mountain (a small part of Gregg County)
  • Gilmer (county seat)
  • Gladewater (partly in Gregg County and Upshur County )
  • Ore City
  • Union Grove
  • Warren City (mostly in Gregg County) Pritchett, Texas, Big Sandy, Texas, Bettie, Texas, and there are many other small communities in Upshur County.

Town

  • Big Sandy

Unincorporated communities

  • Coffeeville
  • Diana
  • Enoch
  • Kelsey
  • Rhonesboro
  • Simpsonville

Demographics

<!-- PresRow should be -->

<!-- U.S. SenRow should be -->

<!-- U.S. SenRow should be -->

<!-- T.X. GovRow should be -->

Education

These school districts serve Upshur County:

  • Big Sandy ISD (partly in Wood County)
  • Gilmer ISD
  • Gladewater ISD (partly in Gregg County, partly in Upshur County)
  • Harmony ISD (partly in Wood County)
  • New Diana ISD (small portion in Harrison County)
  • Ore City ISD (small portion in Marion counties)
  • Pittsburg ISD
  • Union Grove ISD (small part in Gregg County)
  • Union Hill ISD (mostly in Upshur County, partly in Wood County)

The service area of Kilgore Junior College includes areas in Big Sandy, Gilmer, Gladewater, New Diana, and Union Grove ISDs. Areas in Harmony, Ore City, and Union Hill ISDs are in the service area of Northeast Texas Community College.

Media

The main newspaper for Upshur County is The Gilmer Mirror.

The Gladewater Mirror has been published since 1949, first, as a daily newspaper and then became a weekly newspaper.

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Upshur County, Texas
  • Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Upshur County

References