Hallsville, Texas

History

Past

The area was first settled in 1839, when Fort Crawford was built one mile west of the site of present Hallsville by W. C. Crawford as a protection against Indians. In 1849, the fort is reported to have had a post office and a two-story building that served as church, Masonic hall, and school (the only school in western Harrison County until 1868). In 1869, when an independent Southern Pacific Railway crossed a mile north of Fort Crawford, the settlers moved to the railroad and named the new settlement for a railroad official. All that remains at the original location is a cemetery.

A post office named "Hallville" opened in 1869, and the first business in the new community was a saloon. From 1869 to 1872 the town was the terminus of the railroad, and the railroad company built a general office and machine shops there. The community incorporated for the first time in 1870 and was a boom town, with as many as fifty businesses, in the early 1870s. Hallville shipped cotton, wool, and hides. In 1872, when the Texas and Pacific acquired the railroad and built out to Longview in Gregg County, Hallville lost much of its western trade. In 1873, the railroad moved its local headquarters and shops to Marshall. Hallville's incorporation lapsed, and the community lost many of its people to Marshall in the later 1870s. In 1884, it had an estimated 600 inhabitants, three churches, six sawmills, six grist mill-gins, a hotel, two saloons, and a cooperative association. By 1892 the population had fallen to 300, but it recovered to 600 in the 1900s. In 1904, the Hallville school district had two schools serving 180 white pupils and one school serving 111 black pupils Galilee High School. A bank opened in the community in 1909. In the 1920s, the post office changed the spelling of its name to Hallsville. The community reincorporated in 1935.

Present

Until 2003, Hallsville had only one traffic light, located at the main intersection at Main Street (HWY 80) and FM 450. The town has experienced rapid growth in the past decade and now boasts six traffic lights, a larger corporate grocery store chain, a medical and dental clinic, two dollar stores and several fast-food chains. The heart and pulse of the community still lies in its school functions, particularly sporting events. In May 2025, City Hall was moved from Highway 80 to Willow Street.

Geography

Hallsville is located in western Harrison County. U.S. Highway 80 passes through the center of town as Main Street, leading east 13 mi to Marshall, the county seat, and west 10 mi to Longview. Farm to Market Road 450 leads south from the center of Hallsville 2 mi to Interstate 20 at exit 604 and north 13 mi to Harleton.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Hallsville has a total area of 9.6 km2, all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,277 people, 1,564 households, and 1,233 families residing in the city.

As of the 2010 census Hallsville had a population of 3,577. The median age was 32. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 89.1% white, 5.5% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 2.6% from some other race and 2.0% from two or more races. 6.1% of the population was Hispanic of any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,772 people, 993 households, and 799 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,217.3 PD/sqmi. There were 1,050 housing units at an average density of 461.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 93.15% White, 4.76% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.69% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.27% of the population.

There were 993 households, out of which 48.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.5% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.2% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,341, and the median income for a family was $49,868. Males had a median income of $39,844 versus $21,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,689. About 5.8% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Bobcat Radio

Bobcat Radio 104.9 KQAT is an information source for western Harrison County, owned and operated by Hallsville Independent School District. The low power FM (LPFM) station serves the city of Hallsville and the surrounding community for a 10-mile radius. Bobcat Radio also broadcasts on the Internet.

Education

The city is served by the Hallsville Independent School District.

Notable people

• James M. Collins, U.S. Representative from Dallas County, 1968–1983
• Clint Ingram, NFL Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker 2006–2011 – Drafted 2006, University of Oklahoma{{cite web |access-date=December 10, 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026091700/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=INGRACLI01 |archive-date=October 26, 2012
• Harry Kinzy, MLB Chicago White Sox pitcher 1934
• Roddrick Muckelroy, former NFL Washington Redskins linebacker – drafted 2010, University of Texas at Austin{{cite web|url= http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/roddrick-muckelroy/b1bf7caf-486c-469a-97b4-cc13064cb140/
• Robert Newhouse, former NFL Dallas Cowboys fullback 1973-1983 - Drafted 1972, University of Houston
• Robert Manley Parker, retired federal judge of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals

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, Hallsville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

References

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 2410689
4. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Hallsville city, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau.
5. "Search Results".
6. "The City Offices are now open at 201... - City of Hallsville".
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
8. "Explore Census Data".
9. (August 2022). "United States Census Bureau}} {{nonspecific".
10. "About the Hispanic Population and its Origin".
11. 2010 general profile of population and housing characteristics for Hallsville from the US census
12. "KQAT - 104.9 FM — Bobcat Radio".
13. "COLLINS, James Mitchell, (1916 - 1989)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
14. "Harry Kinzy Stats". Baseball Almanac.
15. "Robert Newhouse". databaseFootball.com.
16. [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=594027&cityname=Hallsville%2C+Texas%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Hallsville, Texas]