Clarendon, Texas
Encyclopedia
Donley County, Texas
Donley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,828. It is named for Stockton P. Donley, a frontier lawyer. Its county seat is Clarendon....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States. The population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
was 1,974 at the 2000 census. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Donley County
Donley County, Texas
Donley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,828. It is named for Stockton P. Donley, a frontier lawyer. Its county seat is Clarendon....
, Clarendon is located on United States Highway 287 in the Texas Panhandle
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 rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
some sixty miles east of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. It was established in 1878 by Methodist clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man L.H. Carhart as a "sobriety settlement" in contrast to typical boom town
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
s of that era. It acquired the sobriquet
Sobriquet
A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
"Saints Roost" from local cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s: hence the unusual name of the Clarendon museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, the Saints' Roost Museum
Saints' Roost Museum
The Saints' Roost Museum in Clarendon, Texas, United States, features heirlooms from Panhandle ranches, farms, and businesses as well as a renovated railroad depot and a collection of materials from the Red River War. The unusual name of the museum is derived from Clarendon having been established...
.
The Sandell Drive-In, built by Gary Barnhill (born 1920) and named after for his daughters, Sandra and Adele, opened on Texas State Highway 70 in 1955 and closed in 1984. In 2001, John Earl Morrow (born ca. 1954), a Clarendon resident and owner of Morrow Drilling and Service, purchased the property from the Barnhills and in August 2002 re-opened the drive-in. The facility, which can handle three hundred cars, is operated by Morrow and volunteers during the summers. Morrow was motivated to bring back the facility because he had viewed films there during his childhood.
Notable residents
For a community of such small population, Clarendon has been the home of numerous notable persons.- AviationAviationAviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
historian Randy AcordRandy AcordRandall Keith "Randy" Acord was a historian of American aviation who in 1992 founded the Alaska Air Pioneer Museum at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks, Alaska....
(1919–2008), a Clarendon native, founded the Alaska Air Pioneer Museum in FairbanksFairbanks, AlaskaFairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
, where he had been stationed as a test pilotTest pilotA test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
in 1943. Acord won the Alaska-Siberia Lend Lease Award for his contributions to RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n relations during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
- JA Ranch matriarch Cornelia Wadsworth Ritchie AdairCornelia AdairCornelia Wadsworth Ritchie Adair was the matriarch of Glenveagh Castle in County Donegal, Ireland, now an Irish national park, and the large JA Ranch southeast of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle, a still active cattle ranch...
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 EpiscopalEpiscopal Church (United States)The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
Church in Clarendon. She also maintained residences in England, having become a naturalized British subject, and in IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, where she lived part of the year at her late husband's Glenveagh CastleGlenveagh CastleGlenveagh Castle is a large castellated Mansion house built in the Scottish Baronial style within Glenveagh National Park, near both Churchill and Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland...
. She is buried in Ireland.
- Harold Dow BugbeeHarold Dow BugbeeHarold Dow Bugbee was an American Western artist, illustrator, painter, and curator of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, Texas. Bugbee sought with considerable success to become the dominant artist of the Texas South Plains, as his role model, Charles M...
, artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
of ranching on the Texas South PlainsSouth PlainsSouth Plains is a vernacular term that refers to a region in West Texas consisting of the portion of the Llano Estacado extending south of the Texas Panhandle, centered at Lubbock. While prominent in the area of petroleum production, the South Plains is mainly an agricultural region, producing a...
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.
- The historianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Harley True BurtonHarley True BurtonHarley True Burton was a Texas historian, college president, and small-town mayor. He was born in Decatur, the seat of Wise County, located north of Fort Worth....
, a former president of Clarendon College, served as the town mayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
from 1955–1963. Burton wrote The History of the JA Ranch, co-owned by John George AdairJohn George AdairJohn George Adair , sometimes known as Jack Adair, was a Scotch-Irish American businessman and landowner who provided the seed capital for the large JA Ranch in the Palo Duro Canyon of the Texas Panhandle, a region of Texas...
of IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Charles GoodnightCharles GoodnightCharles Goodnight, also known as Charlie Goodnight , was a cattle rancher in the American West, perhaps the best known rancher in Texas. He is sometimes known as the "father of the Texas Panhandle." Essayist and historian J...
, who spent his later years in Clarendon.
- Renowned buffaloBisonMembers of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
hunter Frank Collinson (1855–1943) lived primarily in ChildressChildress, TexasChildress is a city in Childress County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,778 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Childress County. Like the county, the city is named for George Campbell Childress, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, who was the principal author of the Texas...
, but is buried in Clarendon.
- Clarendon is the hometown of former Oklahoma SoonersOklahoma SoonersThe University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
standout running back Kenny KingKenny King (running back)Kenneth Leon King is a former American football running back who played seven seasons in the National Football League, mainly with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. He was a starter for the Raiders in Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII....
. He also played for the Oakland RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. King set a Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
record for the longest touchdown reception with an 80-yarder in the Raiders 27-10 Super Bowl XV victory over the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. That record stood until January 26, 1997.
- Clarence Hailey LongClarence Hailey LongClarence Hailey Long, Jr., often known as C.H. Long , was the rugged Texas cowboy sensationalized as the original Marlboro Man. Long, then foreman of the JA Ranch, was catapulted to national attention in 1949, when LIFE magazine published a series of Leonard McCombe photographs on ranching in the...
, the inspiration for the original Marlboro ManMarlboro ManThe Marlboro Man is a figure used in tobacco advertising campaign 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. The image involves a rugged cowboy or cowboys, in nature with...
tobaccoTobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
advertisingAdvertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
campaign, lived his later years in Clarendon. A former employee of the JA RanchJA RanchThe JA Ranch, jointly founded by John George Adair and Charles Goodnight, is the oldest privately owned cattle ranch in the Palo Duro Canyon section of the Texas Panhandle southeast of Amarillo. At its peak size in 1883, the JA, still run by descendants of the Adair family, encompassed some of...
, he joined the First BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church in Clarendon in 1953, after the death of his father in a broncoBroncoBronco, or bronc is a term used in the United States, northern Mexico and Canada to refer to an untrained horse or one that habitually bucks. It may refer to a feral horse that has lived in the wild its entire life, but is also used to refer to domestic horses not yet fully trained to saddle, and...
accident.
- William S. LottWilliam S. LottJudge William Sunday Lott served as District Judge in Williamson County, Texas, in the 26th District court as an acting judge for 16 years. He is credited with establishing Williamson County's tough on crime system. Prior to being elected Judge, he ran a successful law firm. Judge Lott's law...
(1918–2009), was a district judge in Williamson CountyWilliamson County, TexasWilliamson County is a county located on both the Edwards Plateau to the west, consisting of rocky terrain and hills, and Blackland Prairies in the east consising of rich, fertile farming land, The two areas are roughly bisected by Interstate 35...
for 16 years. He was born in Clarendon, and lived there until graduating from high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. He worked at first as a lawyerLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, then a judgeJudgeA judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, in a legal career that spanned seventy years. The William S. Lott Juvenile Center, in Georgetown, TexasGeorgetown, TexasGeorgetown is a city and also the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States with a population of 47,400 at the 2010 census. Southwestern University, founded in 1840, is the oldest university in Texas and is located in Georgetown, about 1/2 mile east of the historic square...
is named after him.
- Odell McBrayerOdell McBrayerOdell Lavon McBrayer was a Fort Worth attorney, Christian layman, and a Republican candidate for governor of Texas in the 1974 party primary election....
(1930–2008), a Fort WorthFort Worth, TexasFort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
attorneyLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, grew up in Clarendon. He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor in 1974, having lost his primary to Jim Granberry, former mayor of LubbockLubbock, TexasLubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
. McBrayer was affiliated with the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship InternationalFull Gospel Business Men's Fellowship InternationalThe Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International is a fellowship of lay businessmen. Its main purpose is to arouse interest in the gospel. Theologically, the organisation has its roots in Pentecostalism. It is currently active in 160 countries around the world...
.
- Blues musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
William Daniel McFalls, better known as Blues Boy WillieBlues Boy WillieWilliam Daniel McFalls, better known as Blues Boy Willie , is an African American electric blues singer and harmonica player from Memphis, Texas...
, lived in Clarendon during the middle 1960s, when he studied guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and upright bass at Clarendon CollegeClarendon CollegeClarendon College may refer to:* Clarendon College , a religious school in Clarendon parish, Jamaica* Clarendon College , a two-year college in Clarendon, Texas, USA* ncn Clarendon, part of New College Nottingham...
.
- Montgomery Harrison Wadsworth RitchieMontie RitchieMontgomery Harrison Wadsworth Ritchie , known as Montie Ritchie, was a dual British subject and American citizen who became a leading cattle rancher and businessman in the Texas Panhandle during the 20th century. From 1935-1993, he was the manager of his family-owned JA Ranch southeast of Amarillo...
(1910–1999), grandson of Cornelia Adair, managed the JA from 1935 until his retirement in 1993 and hence maintained a Clarendon address.
- RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
U.S. Representative William Mac ThornberryMac ThornberryWilliam McClellan "Mac" Thornberry is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, who represents the Texas Panhandle in a district which stretches from Amarillo east to Wichita FallsWichita Falls, TexasWichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
, was born in Clarendon in 1958.
Geography
Clarendon is located at 34°56′11"N 100°53′28"W (34.936415, -100.891182).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), of which, 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (3.32%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,974 people, 768 households, and 489 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 679.0 people per square mile (261.9/km²). There were 929 housing units at an average density of 319.5 per square mile (123.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.49% White, 7.19% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 2.99% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.23% of the population.
There were 768 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 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 population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 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 years of age 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 the median income for a family was $37,083. Males had a median income of $25,486 versus $18,882 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
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
The City of Clarendon is served by the Clarendon Consolidated Independent School DistrictClarendon Consolidated Independent School District
Clarendon Consolidated Independent School District is a public school district based in Clarendon, Texas .Located in Donley County, portions of the district extend into Briscoe and Armstrong counties...
, with the bronco
Bronco
Bronco, or bronc is a term used in the United States, northern Mexico and Canada to refer to an untrained horse or one that habitually bucks. It may refer to a feral horse that has lived in the wild its entire life, but is also used to refer to domestic horses not yet fully trained to saddle, and...
s mascot. The school colors are Maroon/White/Black.
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
Bulldog
Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
. The colors are Green/White.
The Saints' Roost Museum
Saints' Roost Museum
The Saints' Roost Museum in Clarendon, Texas, United States, features heirlooms from Panhandle ranches, farms, and businesses as well as a renovated railroad depot and a collection of materials from the Red River War. The unusual name of the museum is derived from Clarendon having been established...
houses artifact
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
s of the early years of Clarendon and features exhibits on Goodnight, Bugbee, the Red River War
Red River War
The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874, as part of the Comanche War, to remove the Comanche, Kiowa, Southern Cheyenne, and Arapaho Native American tribes from the Southern Plains and forcibly relocate them to reservations in Indian Territory...
, and the Fort Worth and Denver Railway
Fort Worth and Denver Railway
The Fort Worth and Denver Railway , nicknamed "the Denver Road," was a class I American railroad company that operated in the northern part of Texas from 1881 to 1982, and had a profound influence on the early settlement and economic development of the region....
depot
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
.
The local newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
is the Clarendon Enterprise.