Navasota, Texas

Navasota is a city in Grimes County, Texas, United States. The population was estimated to be 7,715 in 2018.[5] In 2005, the Texas Legislature designated Navasota as the "Blues Capital of Texas," in honor of the late Mance Lipscomb, a Navasota native and blues musician.[6]

"Navasota" redirects here. For other uses, see Navasota (disambiguation).
Navasota, Texas
City
Navasota City Hall
Nickname(s): 
The Blues Capital of Texas
Location of Navasota, Texas
Coordinates: 30°23′N 96°5′W
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountiesBrazos, Grimes
Government
 • MayorBert Miller
Area
 • Total8.37 sq mi (21.67 km2)
 • Land8.33 sq mi (21.57 km2)
 • Water0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation
217 ft (66 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total7,049
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
7,998
 • Density960.49/sq mi (370.85/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
77868, 77869
Area code(s)936 Exchanges: 510,727,825,870
FIPS code48-50472[3]
GNIS feature ID1375099[4]
Websitewww.navasotatx.gov

Geography

Navasota is located in southwestern Grimes County, east of the Navasota River, a tributary of the Brazos River. It is 71 miles (114 km) northwest of Houston.

Navasota is located in Grimes County, Texas. Texas State Highway 105 is the main east–west route that passes through the center of Navasota, leading southwest 25 miles (40 km) to Brenham and east 41 miles (66 km) to Conroe. Texas State Highway 6 passes north–south through the eastern side of the city as a four-lane bypass, leading northwest 22 miles (35 km) to College Station and south 21 miles (34 km) to Hempstead.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.1 km2), of which 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.47%, are water.[7]

History

French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, misguided in his attempt to locate the Mississippi River and a way back to French-held lands near the Great Lakes, came through the area which would become Navasota in 1687. It was there that La Salle was murdered by one of his men. After numerous voyages, explorations of the Mississippi valley, trading ventures and several mutinies, La Salle's bones are believed to have found their resting place in the Navasota Valley.

Navasota was founded by European Americans in 1831 as a stagecoach stop named "Nolansville". Its name was changed in 1858 to Navasota, a name perhaps derived from the Native American word nabatoto ("muddy water").

After September 1859, when the Houston and Texas Central Railway built into the town, Navasota became important as a shipping and marketing center for the surrounding area. When nearby Washington-on-the-Brazos resisted the coming of the rails, the old historic town forfeited its geographic advantage. It began to decline after many of its businesses and residents began to migrate to the new railhead 7 miles (11 km) to the northeast across the Brazos River at Navasota.

Slavery was integral to the local economy. Planters depended on enslaved African Americans as the workers on their large cotton plantations. The slaves were brought to the city and sold in the domestic slave trade. They worked primarily in the cotton fields, which represented a major commodity crop in the area. Guns were made in nearby Anderson. Cotton, gunpowder, and shoes were made, processed and stored there for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. By 1865 the population was about 2,700. Throughout the Civil War, all the marketable goods produced in the region were brought to Navasota, which at the time was the furthest inland railhead in Texas. Such goods were shipped south by rail to Galveston, where they could be transported by steamboat along the Texas coast and up the Mississippi River to the war effort, or exported to Mexico or overseas to Europe.

Navasota suffered a series of disasters in the mid-1860s that severely depleted its population. In 1865 a warehouse filled with cotton and gunpowder exploded after it was torched by returning Confederate soldiers. The blast killed a number of people and started a fire that destroyed much of the original downtown. Many buildings were damaged, including the post office. Not long afterward, the town was struck by a deadly cholera epidemic. That was followed in 1867 by an even more dangerous epidemic of yellow fever. Many Navasota citizens, including the mayor, fled to escape the disease, and the town's population dropped by about 50 percent.

In the late 1860s the KKK spread into Navasota. On one occasion a tense confrontation between federal soldiers and a crowd of local whites occurred there.[8]

Navasota was considered such a "wild and woolly" place, that women and children were discouraged from going downtown even in broad daylight. The downtown buildings were overrun with lawless ruffians, gamblers, prostitutes, and drunks. Lawmen had to hide and watch, and often were afraid of the streets at night. There were many saloons and gaming halls to entertain the cowboys, railroad men, and others on the loose. Every Sunday morning the undertaker hitched up the buggy and went downtown to collect the bodies he expected to find, after another wild Saturday night.

Perhaps the greatest and most publicized violence was around the turn of the century, during the decline of the Populist Party in Grimes County, and the re-election efforts of Populist candidate Garrett Scott for County Sheriff. A man who spent his entire life in Grimes County, Scott had great charm and political skill. He also worked extremely well with the black population. Since before the Civil War, the population of the county had been majority black because of planters' dependence on slavery.

Few freedmen had relocated after emancipation. But in 1900, the White Man's Union (WMU) began to attack blacks with mobs from Grimes and surrounding counties. Despite resentment by much of the white population, Scott had been reelected several times, and served as sheriff for the better part of two decades. During this time a number of black Republican candidates also succeeded in their election efforts. An all-white mob flooded into Anderson on November 7, 1900, where they killed Emmett Lee Scott, John I. Bradley, and many unnamed black residents of the county. A gunman in the courthouse cupola shot Sheriff Scott as he crossed the street in front of the jail. His niece, Nealy Tuck, came out of the jail and threw herself over him to protect him from the rage of bullets that rained down from unseen assailants in the courthouse. The only WMU participant to die was William McDonald, the son of Judge McDonald.

The assassination attempt failed initially as Scott was dragged to the jail and survived. He and a large portion of his extended family were pinned down in the jail for many days by constant gunfire. Scott's aunt Elizabeth Rowan Scott Neblett implored the governor to intervene. So did Scott's father, John Newton Scott, and his two surviving brothers, postmaster James D. Scott, and Navasota lawman John H. Scott. They sent urgent telegrams to the governor explaining how many men and women were "pinned down" in the Anderson Jail with no hope of leaving alive without State Militia assistance. Scott was badly wounded and would later die of the complications that developed while he and his family were trapped in the jail.

After the militia arrived, wounded men, including husbands and sons were loaded into their wagons and carried into Navasota and to Houston by train. Their women protected them on the way, and the WMU gunmen refrained from killing the Scott women. Scott survived long enough to divest his land in the county and to bring a successful lawsuit against every merchant in the county (this was the only way to oppose the secret membership of the WMU; after Nov 7, 1900, a white man trying to do business in the county had to belong to the WMU). No murder or assault charges were filed because it was learned that McDonald had shot Emmett Scott point blank in the face as Scott entered Bradley's establishment. Bradley (Emmett Lee Scott's best friend) shot McDonald in retaliation and was shot in return fire. The only non-WMU witness to this gunbattle was a severely traumatized teenage Scott girl. All of the other would-be assailants and assassins hid in the courthouse and other buildings, not showing their identities. Following this battle, blacks migrated from Grimes County to north Texas and beyond into Oklahoma; so many left that the following season the planters nearly lost their cotton crop for lack of workers. The county sponsored newspaper ads in the Dallas area, beseeching former black residents to return to their "Homes" in Grimes County.

In 1908, Navasota was still a Wild West boomtown: "shootouts on the main street were so frequent that in two years at least a hundred men died." Famed lawman, Frank Hamer, then 24 years old, was hired away from the Texas Rangers to become the City Marshal. He moved in, and imposed law and order. Hamer faced down, chased down, and beat down the Navasota toughs until the streets were quiet and children could once again go downtown. He served as marshal until 1911. Hamer became more widely known in 1934 as a leader of the posse that hunted and fatally shot Bonnie and Clyde. In 2012, the City of Navasota commissioned local sculptor Russell Cushman to design and create a statue of Frank Hamer that is now on display in front of the city hall building.

Present

As of 2018, the population was estimated at 7,715.[5] The industrial sector of the community now boasts 23 companies and over 1,200 jobs. In 2009, Navasota was selected as a "Visionaries in Preservation" city by the Texas Historical Commission to protect the numerous historic structures in the city. A new municipal building was completed in 2011, and continued downtown improvements are under construction, with completion scheduled in 2023.

In 2012, Navasota Municipal Airport completed an expansion of its runway to 5,000 feet (1,500 m) long by 75 feet (23 m) wide, now accommodating jets on the runway.

The city of Navasota earned a 2011 Gold Leadership Award from the Texas Comptroller's Office for efforts in transparency. Its application scored 17 of 20 points. Navasota was one of 70 (out of over a thousand) cities in Texas to receive the Gold status. It also received the award in 2013.

In 2012, Navasota was named by the Union Pacific Railroad as a "Train Town USA."[9]

In August 2013, Navasota was named a Go Texan "Certified Retirement Community" by the Texas Department of Agriculture.[10]

Media

Navasota is served by the weekly Navasota Examiner newspaper, which has been reporting on the goings-on in Grimes County since 1894. The city is also home to the Willy 98.7 FM and 1550 AM, owned and managed by Bryan Broadcasting in Bryan, Texas. Willy 98.7 is a classic country format, with local programming that includes Navasota News and live broadcasts of the Navasota Rattlers football games.

In 2013, the British documentary project known as Vague Direction visited Navasota and featured local residents Misslette The Singing Cowgirl and Steve Stribling, a local hog trapper.[11]

Attractions
The Sangster House (established 1902)

Navasota has many shops and artisans in its historic downtown district, typified by antique, gift, and boutique stores and art galleries housed in old classic stone and brick structures. Live plays are performed regularly at the Sunny Furman Theatre. The city also has golfing facilities and parks, as well as wineries.

Navasota retains a number of historic Victorian homes on Washington Avenue, the main residential and commercial thoroughfare through town. Another attraction is the historic Brule Field, a natural amphitheater built out of native stone by the Great Depression-era Works Progress Administration.[12] It served as the primary grid for the local high school football team, the Navasota Rattlers, until the new stadium was constructed in 2006. Several native-stone churches also remain near downtown, with distinctive Victorian fronts.

The city is home to two statues of French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, including a bronze monument, dedicated in 1936 by the DAR, to celebrate the travels of the famous French explorer. The second is a stone bust that was previously in downtown, and was rededicated by the French consulate in May 2012 at nearby August Horst Park. The bust was donated to the city by the French government in 1978.

Each spring, Navasota is a popular destination for its bluebonnet fields, the state flower of Texas. A statue of Mance Lipscomb is now a part of Mance Lipscomb Park, near downtown.[13] A statue of Frank Hamer stands in front of city hall, honoring the time he served as city marshal. Local artist and sculptor Russell Cushman designed and built the bronze statue.[14] Other attractions include art galleries, the Horlock House Artists-in-Residence program and museum, live music venues, food truck parks and several murals that present great selfie locations for area visitors. Seasonal festivals attract crowds each year, with live music being a large part of the draw.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18701,509—
18801,6116.8%
18902,99786.0%
19003,85728.7%
19103,284−14.9%
19205,06054.1%
19305,1281.3%
19406,13819.7%
19505,188−15.5%
19604,937−4.8%
19705,1113.5%
19805,97116.8%
19906,2965.4%
20006,7897.8%
20107,0493.8%
Est. 20197,998[2]13.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[15]

As of the census[3] of 2010, 7,049 people, 2,206 households, and 1,726 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,109.7 people per square mile (428.3/km2). The 2,805 housing units averaged 435.0 per square mile (167.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 52.4% White, 38.4% Hispanic or Latino, 30.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 2.1% from two or more races.

Of the 2,206 households, 37% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 20.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29% were not families. About 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the city, the population was distributed as 30.7% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,000, and for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $28,585 versus $21,731 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,564. About 23.8% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.7% of those under age 18 and 24.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Navasota Post Office.[16]

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the O.L. Luther Unit and the Wallace Pack Unit in an unincorporated area in Grimes County near Navasota.[17] In addition, the Pack Warehouse is located in an unincorporated area near the Pack Unit.[18]

Education

Navasota Independent School District includes five traditional campuses and one academic alternative school campus. All campuses received a Met Standard rating from the Texas Education Agency. Navasota High School earned a distinction in ELA/Reading and exceeded state target in Student Progress, Student Achievement, Closing Performance Gaps, and Post-Secondary Readiness. Navasota Junior High exceeded state target in Student Progress and Post-Secondary Readiness. John C. Webb Elementary exceeded state target in Student Progress and Post-Secondary Readiness. Brule Elementary exceeded state target in Student Progress, Closing Performance Gaps, and Post-Secondary Readiness. High Point Elementary earned distinctions in ELA/Reading, Mathematics, Top 25 Percent Closing Gaps, Top 25 Percent Student Progress, and Post-Secondary Readiness. High Point Elementary exceeded state target in Student Progress, Student Achievement, Closing Performance Gaps, and Post-Secondary Readiness.[19]

NISD offers instructional support for learners through a variety of programs such as Advanced Academics/GT, Dual Credit College Classes, Dyslexic Services, English as a Second Language Support, Program 504 Support, Special Services for needs such as speech, learning disabilities, and other health impairments, Pre-Kindergarten Classes, Tiered Supports through RtI, and an Academic Alternative School.

The average student per teacher ratio is 14:1.

School organizations and athletics available to students: Business Professionals of America, FFA, Student Council, National Honor Society, Theatre, Choir, Kickstart, Band, Bass Fishing, FCA, Skills USA, Library Club, Boyz II Men, Princess Code, UIL Academics, One Act Play, HOSA-Future Health Science Professionals, Spanish Club, Family Career and Community Leaders of America, Football, Volleyball, Cross Country, Drill Team, Cheer, Basketball, Golf, Tennis, Baseball, Softball, Powerlifting, Soccer, and Track.[20]

The Navasota Rattlers were 3A Div. II State Football Champions in 2012 and 4A Div. I State Football Champions in 2014.

Notable people
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See also
  • USS Navasota, named after the Navasota River

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  6. "Navasota's credentials check out". The Eagle. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  7. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Navasota city, Texas". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  8. Navasota, TX from the Handbook of Texas Online
  9. "Navasota, Texas Awarded Membership in Union Pacific's Train Town USA Registry". www.uprr.com. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  10. "Navasota". www.retireintexas.org. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  11. "Day 68 – 73: Cleveland to Austin, TX - Vague Direction". Vague Direction. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  12. "Navasota memorabilia for municipal building". The Navasota Examiner. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  13. McLeod, Gerald E.; Fri.; Nov. 4; 2011. "Day Trips". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2019-03-29.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. "Frank Augustus Hamer - Navasota, TX - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  15. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  16. "Post Office Location - NAVASOTA." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 22, 2010.
  17. "Pack Unit Archived 2010-07-25 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 22, 2010.
  18. "Pack Warehouse Archived 2010-07-12 at the Wayback Machine." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on May 22, 2010.
  19. https://tea.texas.gov/2017accountability.aspx
  20. http://www.navasotaisd.org
  21. "Christine M. Jones".
  22. "Chuck Norris water".

Bibliography
  • Caro, Robert A. (1982). The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Means of Ascent. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-49973-5.
  • Sitton, Thad (2000). The Texas Sheriff: Lord of the County Line. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3216-7.
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