Sherman, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sherman is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,082 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grayson CountyGR6. It is also one of two principal cities of and is included in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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[edit] History
The City of Sherman was named after General Sidney Sherman (July 23, 1805 – August 1, 1873), a hero of the Texas Revolution. The community was designated as the county seat by the act of the Texas legislature which created Grayson County on March 17, 1846. In 1847, a post office began operation. Sherman was originally located at the center of the county, but in 1848 it was moved about three miles east to its current location. Before 1850, Sherman had become an incorporated town under Texas law. It had also become a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route through Texas. By 1852, Sherman had a population of 400. It consisted of a public square with a log court house, and several business, a district clerk's office, and a church along the east side of the square.
During the 1850s and 1860s, Sherman continued to develop and it participated in the regional politics. The first flour mill was built in 1861. In 1862 the publisher of Sherman's anti-secessionist Whig newspaper, the Patriot, was murdered. During and after the Civil War, north Texas outlaw bands led by Jesse James and William Quantrill, were seen in Sherman.
Education also developed in north Texas during this time. The Sherman Male and Female High School started accepting students during 1866, under the patronage of the North Texas Methodist Conference. It was one of three private schools in Sherman at the time. This school operated under several names (North Texas Female College and Conservatory of Music begining in 1892 and Kidd-Key College and Conservatory begining in 1919) until 1935. It gradually lost lost Methodist support, after the opening of Southern Methodist University in 1915 in Dallas, TX. In 1876, Austin College, the oldest continuously operating college in Texas, relocated from Huntsville to Sherman. Sherman Female Institute, later known as Mary Nash College, opened in 1877 under sponsorship of the Baptist Church. It continued operation until 1901 when the campus was sold to Kidd-Key College. Carr-Burdette College, a women's college affiliated with Disciples of Christ, operated there from 1894 to 1929.
While there was general depression and lawlessness during Reconstruction, Sherman remained commercially active. During the 1870s Sherman's population reached 6000. In 1875, two fires destroyed many buildings east of the square. They were rebuilt with superior materials. This included a new Grayson County Courthouse built in 1876. In 1879, Old Settlers' Association of North Texas formed and met near Sherman. The Old Settlers' Association of Grayson County incorporated in 1898 and completed purchase of Old Settlers' Park in 1909.
On May 15, 1896, a tornado measuring F5 on the Fujita scale struck Sherman. The tornado had a damage path 400 yards wide and 28 miles long, killing 73 people and injuring 200. About 50 homes were destroyed, with 20 of them being completely obliterated.
During the Sherman Riot of 1930 (May 9, 1930), Sherman's elegant second courthouse was burned down by arson during the the trial of the black man George Hughes. During the riot, Hughes was locked in the vault at the courthouse. He died in the fire. After rioters retrieved Hughes' body from the vault, it was draged behind a car, hung, and set afire. Texas Ranger Frank Hamer was in Sherman during this riot and reported the situation to Texas Governor Dan Moody. Governor Moody sent National Guard troops to Sherman on May 9 and more on May 10 to control the situation.
[edit] Geography
Sherman is located at (33.641077, -96.609991)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 100.0 km² (38.6 mi²). 99.8 km² (38.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.18%) is water.
[edit] Notable Residents
Notable residents of Sherman have included Buck Owens, Buddy Tate, Davis Foute Eagleton, Edna Gladney, Jerry B. Lincecum, Kay Kimbell, Dax Richardson, Light Townsend Cummins, Eristeo Jacob Perez, Brandon King Starr, William J. Durham, and Super Bowl XLI Champions Hunter Smith,Charlie Johnson, and Dr. Saleem A. Khan.
[edit] Transportation
Sherman is served by two U.S. Highways: U.S. 75 and U.S. 82 (the latter is locally designated as the Buck Owens Freeway after the famous musician who was born in Sherman). General aviation service is provided by Sherman Municipal Airport and Grayson County Airport.
[edit] Education
Most people in Sherman are zoned to Sherman Independent School District. Some parts are in Denison Independent School District or Howe Independent School District.
The private university Austin College makes its home in Sherman. Austin College is a nationally-known liberal arts college. Founded in 1849, it is the oldest college or university in Texas operating under its original charter. Grayson County College, based in neighboring Denison, operates a branch campus in Sherman.
Texoma Christian School is a growing school in Sherman. It will become a 2-A school during the 2006-2007 school year.
[edit] References
- Historical Tornadoes
- Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Sherman, Texas" (accessed March 4, 2007.)
- Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Sherman Riot of 1930" (accessed March 6, 2007)
- Grayson County TX GenWeb (accessed March 6, 2007)
- Statement of Frank Hamer on May 13, 1930 (accessed March 6, 2007)
- Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Kidd-Key College", (accessed March 18, 2007)
- Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Mary Nash College", (accessed March 18, 2007)
- Grayson County Frontier Village, The History of Grayson County Texas, Hunter Publishing Co., Winston-Salem, North Carilina, 1979.
[edit] External links
- City of Sherman Official Website
- Sherman Chamber of Commerce website
- Sherman
- Sherman, Texas at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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