Whitewright, Texas

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Whitewright, Texas
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Whitewright, Texas

---

mapsize1 = 250px
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Texas
subdivision_type2 = Counties
subdivision_name2 = Grayson, Fannin

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 5.5
area_land_km2 = 5.4
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 2.1
area_land_sq_mi = 2.1
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 1740
population_density_km2 = 320.5
population_density_sq_mi = 830.0

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 229
elevation_ft = 751
latd = 33 |latm = 30 |lats = 40 |latNS = N
longd = 96 |longm = 23 |longs = 36 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 75491
area_code = 903
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 48-78628GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1371463GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Whitewright is a town in Fannin and Grayson Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 1,740 at the 2000 census.

The Grayson County portion of Whitewright is part of the Sherman–Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Fannin County portion is part of the Bonham Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Whitewright is located at coor dms|33|30|40|N|96|23|36|W|city (33.511136, -96.393400),GR|1 primarily in Grayson County, with a portion in Fannin County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.5 km² (2.1 sq mi). 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it is land and 0.47% is water,

Education

The city is served by the Whitewright Independent School District.

History

The settlement was established in 1878, when New York investor and financier William Whitewright Jr. (b. 1815 - d. 1898), for whom his family name was the community named, purchased a tract of land in the path of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, which was then extending its tracks across the county from Sherman to Greenville. Whitewright had the land surveyed as a townsite and left two of his agents, Jim Reeves and Jim Batsell, to sell lots in the new community. Likely due to the combination of its rail connection and its location in the center of perhaps the richest farmland in the county near the headwaters of the Bois d' Arc creek, Whitewright soon attracted settlers and businesses.

Within ten years of its founding the community had incorporated and supported a private school, Grayson College, a public school, a newspaper, and several businesses, including three hotels, two cotton gins, and two banks. Jas. A Batsell also served as the first postmaster beginning on April 8, 1878. In 1885, Peter McKenna took over as Postmaster and was officially commissioned as a Whitewright post office on December 7, 1888.

By 1900 the population of Whitewright was 1,804. Although it declined slightly, to 1,563 in 1910 and 1,666 in 1920, the business community flourished. By the mid-1920s both the Missouri-Kansas-Texas and the Cotton Belt served the town, and sixty-eight businesses, including two banks and manufacturers of cottonseed oil and flour, operated locally. Whitewright served as a marketing, retail, and commercial center for the farmers of the surrounding area who produced such crops as cotton, wheat, and corn.

The population rose from 1,480 in 1936 to 1,537 by the late 1940s. The number of businesses, however, declined from sixty to forty-six. During the 1970s and 1980s seven factories, producing goods ranging from sausage to clothing to fertilizers, employed local workers. By 1989 Whitewright had twenty-six businesses, and in 1990 the population was 1,713. In 2000 the community had 1,740 inhabitants and 106 businesses.

Quedlinburg treasures

Whitewright was the home of US Lieutenant Joe Tom Meador, who after World War II looted several major pieces of art from a cave near Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

On April 19 1945, American troops occupied Quedlinburg. Various treasures of art were secured in a cave near the castle Altenburg. Meador was responsible for the security of the cave.

Meador, a soldier with good knowledge of art, recognized the importance of the treasures (among them being Gospel of Samuel and the Crystals of Constantinople). He sent the treasures to Whitewright via army mail, and the art was placed in a safe at the First National Bank of Whitewright.

Meador died in 1980, and his heirs tried to sell ten pieces of Beutekunst (looted art) on the international art market. After a long search and judicial processes, the art was returned to Germany in 1992 and were investigated because of damages to the pieces. At first those stolen artefacts were exhibited in Munich and Berlin but were finally returned to Quedlinburg in 1993. However, two of the pieces stolen by Meador are still in the United States at an unknown location.

*A 2007 documentary of ZDF showed the path of robbing the Treasures.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 1,740 people, 650 households, and 456 families residing in the town. The population density was 830.0 people per square mile (319.9/km²). There were 732 housing units at an average density of 349.2/sq mi (134.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.36% White, 8.33% African American, 0.57% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.64% of the population.

There were 650 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 83.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,194, and the median income for a family was $42,292. Males had a median income of $31,852 versus $22,639 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,137. About 7.9% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

Notable residents of Whitewright include Kay Kimbell, Julie Johnson, Larry Franklin and Josh Duhon.

References

Further reading

*Michael Fritz Johann: Aus Texas zurückgekehrt: der spätgotische Buchdeckel aus dem Quedlinburger Schatz. In: Denkmalkunde und Denkmalpflege (1995), p. 275-282.
*Friedemann Goßlau: Verloren, gefunden, heimgeholt. Die Wiedervereinigung des Quedlinburger Domschatzes Quedlinburg 1996.
*William H. Honan: Treasure Hunt. A New York Times Reporter Tracks the Quedlinburg Hoard. New York 1997.
*Siegfried Kogelfranz/Willi A. Korte: Quedlinburg – Texas und zurück. Schwarzhandel mit geraubter Kunst. Munich 1994.
*Emily Sano/David Kusin (Hg.): The Quedlinburg Treasury. Dallas Museum of Art 1991.

External links

* [http://www.whitewright.lib.tx.us Whitewright Public Library]
* [http://www.whitewright.org Whitewright Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.birdseyeviews.org/zoom.php?city=Whitewright&year=1891&extra_info= Amon Carter Museum: Texas Bird's-Eye Views (Whitewright)]
* [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/QQ/kjqem.html Quedlinburg Art Affair at Handbook of Texas Online]
* [http://www.domschatzquedlinburg.de/live/aktuelles/index.php Treasures of the Dome of Quedlinburg] (in German)