Clute, Texas
Encyclopedia
Clute is a city in Brazoria County
, Texas
within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown
metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 10,424. The city gained some fame with the discovery of a fossilized mammoth
named Asiel. There is now a restaurant/museum of the same name to honor this discovery.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), of which, 5.3 square miles (13.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (5.14%) is water.
's Old Three Hundred
, obtained title to the land in 1824. Eagle Island Plantation belonged to Jared Groce, the richest man in Austin's Colony. Calvit's plantation later became the Herndon sugar plantation, owned by John H. Herndon, who married Calvit's only daughter.
After the American Civil War
, Joseph Pegan, Soloman J. Clute, and several relatives including George and John Clute, founded a community near the plantation site. In 1881, the name Clute was adopted when both plantations were bought by Solomon J. Clute. George was described as, "a little Yankee from New York with a long, white beard." The other founders of Clute have also been described as northernors. The Clutes acquired additional land from Herndon, who put it up for auction in the 1870s.
A deed dated March 17, 1886, transferred ownership from Soloman Clute to George Clute for property known as Clute's Place. Soloman administered the community until 1888 or 1889, when it was sold. The Eagle Island Plantation of William H. Wharton
occupied the site of present Restwood Memorial Park.
In 1933 Clute had only two businesses and a population of ten. By 1937 the town had a school for white children with two teachers and two schools for black children with one teacher each. In the early 1940s, Clute began to prosper with the advent of Dow Chemical and several large construction companies moving into Southern Brazoria County. A post office was established by 1943, and a new grade school was built in the 1950s.
In 1950 Clute had a population of 700 and thirty-six businesses; in 1954 the residents numbered 3,200 and the businesses forty-five. Clute was incorporated in May 1952 under the name Clute City, with a commission form of government; in 1955 the town changed its name back to Clute and adopted an alderman (city council) form of government.
Brazoswood High School opened in Clute in 1969 with grades 9-11. The first class graduated 356 students in May 1971. Brazoswood won the state championship in football in 1974.
was found buried in a sand pit
in Clute by a backhoe
operator for Vernor Material & Equipment Co. The operator uncovered a pair of tusks in the pit near Brazoswood High School
. This was believed to be remains of the first-dated mammoth discovered on the Texas Gulf Coast.
The mammoth was judged to be about 38,000 years old, judging from the age of logs recovered near the site. The mammoth was considered to be a Columbian mammoth
. These mammoths were slightly larger and less hairy than their famous cousin, the wooly mammoth. In addition, fossil logs and remains of bison, horse, deer and turtle are present, providing a glimpse of a unique Ice Age
environment buried 35' below the surface, said Robson Bonnichsen
, director of the Center for the Study of the First Americans.
of 2000, there were 10,424 people, 3,674 households, and 2,564 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,949.1 people per square mile (752.3/km²). There were 4,142 housing units at an average density of 774.5 per square mile (298.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.22% White, 7.66% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 23.03% from other races
, and 3.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.09% of the population.
There were 3,674 households out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples
living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,622, and the median income for a family was $34,638. Males had a median income of $31,574 versus $18,396 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,008. About 16.0% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
.
The city is also served by Brazosport College
.
The Clute Library is a part of the Brazoria County Library System.
Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County[p] is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Regionally, parts of the county are within the extreme southern-most fringe of the regions locally known as Southeast Texas. Brazoria County is among a...
, 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...
within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 10,424. The city gained some fame with the discovery of a fossilized mammoth
Mammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
named Asiel. There is now a restaurant/museum of the same name to honor this discovery.
Geography
Clute is located at 29°1′34"N 95°23′40"W (29.026060, -95.394539).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 5.6 square miles (14.5 km²), of which, 5.3 square miles (13.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (5.14%) is water.
History
Clute's history began at the junction of the old Calvit and Eagle Island Plantations. Alexander (Sandy) Calvit, one of Stephen F. AustinStephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
's Old Three Hundred
Old Three Hundred
The Old Three Hundred is a term used to describe the 297 grantees, made up of families and some partnerships of unmarried men, who purchased 307 parcels of land from Stephen Fuller Austin and established a colony near present day Brenham in Washington County, Texas.Moses Austin was the original...
, obtained title to the land in 1824. Eagle Island Plantation belonged to Jared Groce, the richest man in Austin's Colony. Calvit's plantation later became the Herndon sugar plantation, owned by John H. Herndon, who married Calvit's only daughter.
After the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Joseph Pegan, Soloman J. Clute, and several relatives including George and John Clute, founded a community near the plantation site. In 1881, the name Clute was adopted when both plantations were bought by Solomon J. Clute. George was described as, "a little Yankee from New York with a long, white beard." The other founders of Clute have also been described as northernors. The Clutes acquired additional land from Herndon, who put it up for auction in the 1870s.
A deed dated March 17, 1886, transferred ownership from Soloman Clute to George Clute for property known as Clute's Place. Soloman administered the community until 1888 or 1889, when it was sold. The Eagle Island Plantation of William H. Wharton
William H. Wharton
William Harris Wharton was an early colonist, political leader and orator in Texas.Wharton was born in Virginia and was raised by an uncle following the deaths of his parents. He graduated from the University of Nashville and was admitted to the Tennessee bar in 1826...
occupied the site of present Restwood Memorial Park.
In 1933 Clute had only two businesses and a population of ten. By 1937 the town had a school for white children with two teachers and two schools for black children with one teacher each. In the early 1940s, Clute began to prosper with the advent of Dow Chemical and several large construction companies moving into Southern Brazoria County. A post office was established by 1943, and a new grade school was built in the 1950s.
In 1950 Clute had a population of 700 and thirty-six businesses; in 1954 the residents numbered 3,200 and the businesses forty-five. Clute was incorporated in May 1952 under the name Clute City, with a commission form of government; in 1955 the town changed its name back to Clute and adopted an alderman (city council) form of government.
Brazoswood High School opened in Clute in 1969 with grades 9-11. The first class graduated 356 students in May 1971. Brazoswood won the state championship in football in 1974.
Mammoth discovery
In November 2003, a mammothMammoth
A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
was found buried in a sand pit
Sand Pit
Sandspit Park Beach & Marina is located on the Patchogue River in the Village of Patchogue in Suffolk County, New York.Sandspit is on Brightwood Street off Ceder Ave directly south of the Patchogue Long Island Rail Road Station...
in Clute by a backhoe
Backhoe
A backhoe, also called a rear actor or back actor, is a piece of excavating equipment or digger consisting of a digging bucket on the end of a two-part articulated arm. They are typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader...
operator for Vernor Material & Equipment Co. The operator uncovered a pair of tusks in the pit near Brazoswood High School
Brazoswood High School
Brazoswood High School is a secondary school located at 302 West Brazoswood in Clute, Texas. It educates grades nine through twelve and is part of the Brazosport Independent School District....
. This was believed to be remains of the first-dated mammoth discovered on the Texas Gulf Coast.
The mammoth was judged to be about 38,000 years old, judging from the age of logs recovered near the site. The mammoth was considered to be a Columbian mammoth
Columbian Mammoth
The Columbian Mammoth is an extinct species of elephant of the Quaternary period that appeared in North America during the late Pleistocene. It is believed by some authorities to be the same species as its slightly larger cousin, M...
. These mammoths were slightly larger and less hairy than their famous cousin, the wooly mammoth. In addition, fossil logs and remains of bison, horse, deer and turtle are present, providing a glimpse of a unique Ice Age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
environment buried 35' below the surface, said Robson Bonnichsen
Robson Bonnichsen
Robson Bonnichsen was an anthropologist who undertook pioneering research in First American studies, popularized the field and founded the Center for the Study of the First Americans...
, director of the Center for the Study of the First Americans.
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 10,424 people, 3,674 households, and 2,564 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 1,949.1 people per square mile (752.3/km²). There were 4,142 housing units at an average density of 774.5 per square mile (298.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.22% White, 7.66% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 23.03% 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 3.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 48.09% of the population.
There were 3,674 households out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% 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, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 13.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,622, and the median income for a family was $34,638. Males had a median income of $31,574 versus $18,396 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 $14,008. About 16.0% of families and 18.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The public schools in the city are operated by the Brazosport Independent School DistrictBrazosport Independent School District
Brazosport Independent School District is a school district based in Freeport, Texas .The district serves the cities, towns, and villages of Clute, Freeport, Jones Creek, Lake Jackson, Oyster Creek, Quintana, Richwood, and Surfside Beach...
.
The city is also served by Brazosport College
Brazosport College
Brazosport College, or BC, is a public, coeducational college located in Lake Jackson, Texas. The college was opened in 1968, and offers two-year and four-year degrees...
.
The Clute Library is a part of the Brazoria County Library System.