WOLFE CITY, TEXAS

'Wolfe City' is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,566 at the 2000 census.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

External links

Geography

Wolfe City is located at (33.367996, -96.070430).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.0 km² (1.5 mi²). 3.7 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (5.84%) is water.

History

Wolfe City was settled in the late 1860s or early 1870s, when J. Pinckney Wolfe built a mill near the banks of Oyster Creek. For a brief time area farmers called the community Wolfe's Mill. By 1882, the year it received a post office, the name had become Wolfe City. In 1887 Wolfe City incorporated, and the tracks of the Santa Fe Railroad reached the community, establishing it as an important shipping point for area farmers. In the early 1880s Wolfe City had just over 200 residents and a dozen businesses. By 1892 it had 1,800 people and sixty businesses, including a bank, a planning mill, a foundry, the Sentinel Chronicle, two gristmills, and two cotton gins. On the eve of World War I fifteen businesses served the nearly 1,400 residents. Over the next decade the population of Wolfe City reached its peak, 1,859. In 1945 the town had just over 1,300 residents, and in 1990 the population was 1,505.
The History of
Lemuel Pinkney Wolfe
The founder of Wolfe’s Mill/Wolfe City, Texas
Compiled by
John W. “Dub” Duncan
P. O. Box 774
Bonham, Texas 75418
All rights reserved, reproduction of the whole
or any part of the contents, without written
permission, is prohibited
Lemuel Pinkney and Penelope Katherine Wolfe
The founders of Wolfe’s Mill / Wolfe City, Texas
Lemuel Pinkney Wolfe was born in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, on August 22nd, 1824. His parents were George and Elizabeth (Clement) Wolfe, of Charleston, South Carolina. Elizabeth’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. Edward Clement of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Her father was a Revolutionary and also a soldier in the War of 1812.
The seven brothers and sisters of Lemuel were: Noah, Emaline, Henry, Mahala, John F., Leland and Sarah.
Penelope Katherine Jackson and Lemuel Pinkney Wolfe married on October 13th, 1849, in Jackson Hill, South Caroline. Penelope Katherine was born April 17th, 1830. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. A. F. Jackson of Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
Penelope and Lemuel had six children. They were; Louisa Marilla “Lou”, 9-17-1850 / 3-19-1925, Melville Coatsworth, 2-22-1852 / 4-2-1928, George P., 10-27-1856 / 1-19-1934, Lee Pinkney, 10-17-1863 / 11-8-1932, Sallie (Wolfe) Turner, 1864 / 1942 and Manson H., 12-10-1866 / 10-14-1942.
In 1859, Lemuel Pinkney and Penelope Katherine and their three children moved from South Carolina to Texas. Their other children were born after they moved here.
They first settled near Ladonia, Texas on a farm. He was in the Civil War from 1861 till 1865. When he returned home, they purchased a farm north of Wolfe City, known as the Faison Farm. In about 1873 he sold this farm and purchased a section (640 acres) from the Uriah Blue survey on the Fannin and Hunt County line. This is the present location of Wolfe City.
Around 1874, in what is now the 100 block of Franklin Street, they built their home. In 1875 he and Albert Gallatin “Abby” Wilson (1850 / 1937) built a treadmill, using oxen power to grind corn and wheat for the local residents. This location is known now as 402 South Mill Street. A general store was added. In 1878 a Post Office was granted for Wolfe’s Mill and was located in the general store. Lemuel Pinkney Wolfe was the Postmaster. By 1882 the oxen were replaced by a steam engine to power the mill. Later they built a cotton gin near the mill. Sometime later, the Setzler Brothers purchased the mill and cotton gin.
Penelope Katherine died on April 27th, 1878 and was buried in the Mount Carmel Cemetery, near Wolfe’s Mill. Lemuel married a second time on January 6th, 1884. Her name was Deview Nesbitt, and she was also from Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
Lemuel Pinkney Wolfe was successful in getting the railroads to come through Wolfe City. He had one meeting with the Santa Fe Railroad engineer in Duck Creek, now Garland, Texas, to convince them. He donated the land for the railroads right a way and depots.
In 1886 and 1887, when the railroads came through Wolfe City, the town moved approximately 1 mile north to be near the railroads that crossed in Wolfe City. The Santa Fe Railroad ran from Dallas to Paris, Texas and the Cottonbelt ran from Commerce to Sherman, Texas.
On February 22nd, 1888 Wolfe’s Mill officially became Wolfe City, Texas.
Lemuel Pinkney Wolfe died on February 16th, 1890 and is buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery, near Wolfe City, Texas, the city he had created. It is unknown by the compiler when his 2nd wife died or is buried.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,566 people, 615 households, and 413 families residing in the city. The population density was 419.9/km² (1,085.3/mi²). There were 687 housing units at an average density of 184.2/km² (476.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.40% White, 13.09% African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.38% of the population.
There were 615 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,786, and the median income for a family was $37,692. Males had a median income of $28,462 versus $19,336 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,317. About 16.5% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 19.9% of those age 65 or over.

External links