Donley County, Texas
Donley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,258. Its county seat is Clarendon. The county was created in 1876 and later organized in 1882.
History
Donley County was established in ...
, United States. Its population was 2,026 at the 2010 census. The
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Donley County, Clarendon is located on U.S. Highway 287 in the
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...
, east of
Amarillo
Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...
.
History
Clarendon, established in 1878, was one of the three original Panhandle settlements, the other two being Mobeetie and Tascosa. Clarendon was relocated after its original location was bypassed by the Fort Worth and Denver Railway.
The town founder was a
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
clergyman, L.H. Carhart, who envisioned a "sobriety settlement" in contrast to typical
boomtown
A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although ...
s of that era. Clarendon acquired the sobriquet "Saints Roost" from local cowboys, hence the unusual name of the Clarendon museum, the Saints' Roost Museum.
The town was hit by two tornadoes simultaneously on March 13, 2021. The first tornado caused minor damage west of town before strengthening and causing EF2 damage on the north side of town. The other tornado damaged several homes and sheds in the town at EF0 strength.
Geography
Clarendon is located southwest of the center of Donley County at (34.936415, −100.891182).U.S. Highway 287 passes through the city, leading west to Amarillo and southeast to Childress. Texas State Highway 70 leads north to
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...
and south to
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.49%, is covered by water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 1,877 people, 705 households, and 404 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, 1,974 people, 768 households, and 489 families resided in the city. The population density was 679.0 people per sq mi (261.9/km). The 929 housing units averaged of 319.5 per sq mi (123.3/km). The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the city was 87.49% White, 7.19% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 2.99% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.23% of the population.
Of the 768 households, 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were not families. About 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city, the age distribution was 23.5% under 18, 13.9% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,824, and for a family was $37,083. Males had a median income of $25,486 versus $18,882 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,436. About 11.2% of families and 15.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Clarendon is served by the
Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District
Clarendon Independent School District is a public school district based in Clarendon, Texas, United States.
Located in Donley County, Texas, Donley County, portions of the district extend into Briscoe County, Texas, Briscoe and Armstrong County, ...
. The school colors are maroon, white, and black. The school mascot is the Bronco.
Clarendon is home to Clarendon College (established 1898), the oldest center of higher education in the Texas Panhandle. It was originally affiliated with the Methodist Church. The college is located off Highway 287 in north Clarendon. The mascot is the
bulldog
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.artifacts of the early years of Clarendon, and features exhibits on Goodnight, Bugbee, the
Red River War
The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874 to displace the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native American tribes from the Southern Plains, and forcibly relocate the tribes to reservati ...
, and the Fort Worth and Denver Railway
depot
Depot ( or ) may refer to:
Places
* Depot, Poland, a village
* Depot Island, Kemp Land, Antarctica
* Depot Island, Victoria Land, Antarctica
* Depot Island Formation, Greenland
Brands and enterprises
* Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in ...
.
The local newspaper is the ''Clarendon Enterprise''.
Notable people
Clarendon has been the home of numerous notable persons.
* Aviation historian Randy Acord (1919–2008), a Clarendon native, founded the Alaska Air Pioneer Museum in Fairbanks, where he had been stationed as a
test pilot
A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...
in 1943. Acord won the Alaska-Siberia Lend Lease Award for his contributions to Russian-North American relations during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
* JA Ranch matriarch Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie Adair maintained a house in Clarendon and was a benefactor of many Donley County charities. The Saints' Roost Museum in Clarendon is the restoration of her former Adair Hospital. She was active, too, in the Episcopal Church in Clarendon. She also maintained residences in England, having become a naturalized British subject, and in Ireland, where she lived part of the year at her late husband's
Glenveagh Castle
Glenveagh Castle ( ga, Caisleán Ghleann Bheatha ) is a large castellated mansion located in Glenveagh National Park, County Donegal,
Ireland and was built in about 1870.
History
Captain John George Adair built Glenveagh Castle between ...
. She is buried in Ireland.
* Ed Boykin, New Mexico state legislator and educator, was born in Clarendon.
*
Harold Dow Bugbee
Harold Dow Bugbee (August 15, 1900 – March 27, 1963) was an American Western artist, illustrator, painter, and curator of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas.Bugbee exhibit, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, ...
, artist of ranching on the , Texas
South Plains
The South Plains is a region in northwest Texas, consisting of 24 counties. The main crop is cotton.
Counties
The South Plains region includes 24 counties:
The northernmost four (Parmer, Castro, Swisher, and Briscoe) are also considered to be p ...
and the Panhandle, maintained his family near Clarendon. He was also the art curator of the Panhandle-Plains Museum for many years prior to his death in 1963. Bugbee's second wife, Olive Vandruff Bugbee, an artist in her own right, lived at the Harold Dow Bugbee Ranch from the time of her brief marriage to Bugbee in 1961 until her death in 2003. The couple left the ranch estate to the Panhandle Plains Museum.
* Historian Harley True Burton, a former president of Clarendon College, served as the town mayor from 1955 to 1963. Burton wrote ''The History of the JA Ranch'', co-owned by John George Adair of Ireland and Charles Goodnight, who spent his later years in Clarendon.
* Renowned buffalo hunter Frank Collinson (1855–1943) lived primarily in Childress, but is buried in Clarendon.
* Clarendon is the hometown of former Oklahoma Sooners football standout running back
Kenny King Kenneth, Ken or Kenny King may refer to: Ken King
* Ken King (born 1971), American politician and businessman
* Ken King (ice hockey) (1952–2020), Canadian sports executive
Kenneth King
* Kenneth George King or Jonathan King (born 1944), Englis ...
. He also played for the Oakland Raiders. King set a Super Bowl record for the longest touchdown reception with an 80-yarder in the Raiders' 27–10 Super Bowl XV victory over the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
. That record stood until January 26, 1997.
* Clarence Hailey Long, the inspiration for the original
Marlboro Man
The Marlboro Man is a figure that was used in tobacco advertising campaigns for Marlboro cigarettes. In the United States, where the campaign originated, it was used from 1954 to 1999. The Marlboro Man was first conceived by Leo Burnett in 1954. ...
tobacco advertising campaign, lived his later years in Clarendon. A former employee of the JA Ranch, he joined the First Baptist Church in Clarendon in 1953, after the death of his father in a bronco accident.
* William S. Lott (1918–2009) was a district judge in Williamson County for 16 years. He was born in Clarendon, and lived there until graduating from high school. He worked at first as a lawyer, then a judge, in a legal career that spanned 70 years. The William S. Lott Juvenile Center in
Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown is a city in Texas and the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 67,176 at the 2020 census. It is 30 miles (48 km) north of Austin.
Founded in 1875 from four existing colleges, the oldest of ...
, is named after him.
* Odell McBrayer (1930–2008), a Fort Worth attorney, grew up in Clarendon. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor in 1974, having lost his primary to Jim Granberry, former mayor of
Lubbock
Lubbock ( )
is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...
Blues Boy Willie
Blues Boy Willie (born William Daniel McFall, November 28, 1946) is an American electric and soul blues singer, musician, and songwriter. Influenced jointly by his grounding in gospel and Junior Parker's recordings, Blues Boy Willie's songwriti ...
, lived in Clarendon during the middle 1960s, when he studied guitar and
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...
at Clarendon College.
* Montgomery Harrison Wadsworth Ritchie (1910–1999), grandson of Cornelia Adair, managed the JA from 1935 until his retirement in 1993, so maintained a Clarendon address.
*
Samuel Hollingsworth Stout
Major Samuel Hollingsworth Stout (March 3, 1822 – September 18, 1903) was an American farmer, slaveholder, teacher and surgeon. In the Antebellum era, he was the owner of a farm with slaves in Giles County, Tennessee. During the American Civil Wa ...
(1822–1903), Confederate surgeon, died in Clarendon.
*
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. According ...
, was born in Clarendon in 1958.
* Famous Modernist architect,
Craig Ellwood
Craig Ellwood (April 22, 1922 – May 30, 1992) was an influential Los Angeles-based modernist architect whose career spanned the early 1950s through the mid-1970s. Although untrained as an architect, Ellwood fashioned a persona and career ...
, was born in Clarendon in 1922. He was born as Jon Nelson Burke, but changed his name to Craig Ellwood while living in Los Angeles. He died in Pergine Valdarno, Italy.