Gilmer, Texas

Gilmer is a city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, Texas, United States.^[4] It is best known for being the home of the East Texas Yamboree and the birthplace of popular music singers Don Henley of the Eagles band and Johnny Mathis, as well as blues musician Freddie King. Its population was 4,843 at the 2020 census.

Founded in 1846, the city's namesake is former Secretary of the Navy Thomas Walker Gilmer. Gilmer is located on the Old Cherokee Trace, a trail used by the Cherokee Indians in their travels. To this day, arrowheads and other Native American artifacts can be found with little to no digging. Sam Houston, when he lived with the Cherokee, traveled the trace through here. The location of Gilmer was determined by a flood on Little Cypress Creek. First located near the creek, residents decided to change locations because of frequent floods.

In 1919, Chilton Jennings, a 28-year-old African American man, was lynched in Gilmer’s town square by a mob of approximately 1,000 white residents.^[5][6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.6 mi² (12.0 km²), all land.

Four miles west of Gilmer is Lake Gilmer, which opened September 29, 2001.

Gilmer is part of a larger area known as the East Texas Piney Woods.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Gilmer has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.^[7]

As of the 2020 United States census, 4,843 people, 1,778 households, and 987 families were residing in the city.

As of the census^[3] of 2000, 4,799 people, 1,926 households, and 1,300 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,038.5 inhabitants per square mile (401.0/km²). The 2,214 housing units averaged 479.1 per mi² (185.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.91% White, 20.23% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.42% of the population.

Of the 1,926 households, 30.1% had children under 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were not families. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.37, and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city, the population was distributed as 25.3% under 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 76.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,487, and for a family was $39,688. Males had a median income of $32,437 versus $17,910 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,823. About 15.9% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under the age of 18 and 21.0% of those 65 and older.

The East Texas Yamboree, organized by the East Texas Yamboree Association, is an annual festival held in , celebrating the sweet potato, locally known as the yam. Established in 1935, it is one of the oldest continuous festivals in Texas, attracting over 100,000 visitors each year.^[14][15]

The Yamboree was initiated in 1935 as part of the Texas Centennial celebrations, during which Texas counties were encouraged to create festivals highlighting local culture and economy. Upshur County chose to celebrate the yam, a significant cash crop that had faced challenges due to a weevil infestation in the late 1920s. After the quarantine was lifted, the yam industry revived, inspiring the creation of the festival. The event has been held almost every year since, with interruptions only during World War II (1941–1944) and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resuming in 2021.

The Yamboree spans four days during the third weekend of October, offering a diverse array of events that celebrate both the yam and the community’s agricultural heritage. Key activities include:

• Queen's Coronation Pageant: A central event where the Yam Queen is crowned, a tradition dating back to the festival’s inception. In 2024, Katie Ella Henson, a student from Harmony High School, was crowned queen during ceremonies held on October 16 and 17 at the Gilmer Civic Center.^[16]
• Carnival: Held around the Courthouse Square in downtown Gilmer, the carnival features rides, games, and family-friendly entertainment, with special promotions like half-price rides on Youth Night.^[16]
• Parades: Two parades are highlights of the festival. The School/Youth Parade on Friday features floats created by local schools and marching bands, with floats judged on workmanship, beauty, and theme portrayal. The Queen’s Parade on Saturday showcases the crowned queen and top-ranking school floats.^[14][16]
• Barn Dance: A traditional event held at the Yamboree Event Center, featuring live music. In 2024, the barn dance on October 19 included performances by the Clay Logan Band, Joint Custody, and country music artist Pat Green, with tickets priced at $25 in advance and $30 at the door.^[16]
• Livestock Shows: Competitions for FFA participants, including broiler, rabbit, market swine, goat, steer, and dairy shows, held at the Livestock Grounds. These events support agricultural education, with the Yamboree Association awarding scholarships to participants.^[16]
• Contests: Popular contests include the sweet potato pie contest, yam decorating contest, and a fiddler’s contest, celebrating the yam’s culinary and cultural significance.^[14]
• Marching Band Contest: High school bands compete in a marching contest, adding to the festival’s vibrant atmosphere.^[14]

Additional activities include a quilt show at the Redemption Worship Center, gospel music performances, a classic car show, a Tater Trot run, and exhibits of home canning, arts, and crafts at the Exhibit Building.^[16] The festival also features a display of past queens’ gowns at the local museum, connecting attendees with the event’s history.^[16]

Juneteenth—also called “Freedom Day”—is the annual celebration of the emancipation and the freeing of African Americans from slavery through the end of the Civil War.^[17] In Gilmer, the event is organized by Upshur County but locally centered in the city.

The Upshur County Juneteenth Celebration, held in downtown Gilmer, has featured a parade, live music, a car and tractor show, soul food contests, children’s activities, vendor booths, and community unity programming.^[18][19] In 2025, the sixth annual celebration was scheduled for June 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Yamboree Event Center in Gilmer.^[20][21]

The event connects to other local commemorations, including a Humanities Texas exhibition at the Historic Upshur County Museum ran from February through March 2025, showcasing Juneteenth’s history and significance.^[22][23]

These annual celebrations, consistently held in Gilmer, serve as both a local cultural cornerstone and a civic acknowledgment of African American freedom, community, history, and unity.^{[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]}

Gilmer is served by the Gilmer Independent School District.

• Don Henley, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and founding member of the Eagles
• Freddie King, guitarist and singer in Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Johnny Mathis, multiple platinum-selling popular music and standards singer; Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
• Jason Sellers, country music singer-songwriter
• Michelle Shocked, folk singer-songwriter^[25]

• Kris Boyd, football defensive back for the Minnesota Vikings
• Curtis Brown, former defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Gus Johnson, former NFL running back
• Manuel Johnson, former wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys
• G. J. Kinne, NFL and Canadian Football League quarterback
• Kenny Pettway, linebacker for the Edmonton Eskimos
• David Snow, offensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers
• Jeff Traylor, head football coach UTSA
• Louis Wright, former four-time first-team All-Pro cornerback for the Denver Broncos

• Chilton Jennings, lynched in Gilmer, Texas
• David Abner, an African-American Republican state representative from 1874 to 1875, he was brought to Upshur County as a slave from Selma, Alabama.^[26]
• Charles F. Baird, a former justice of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and former judge, Travis County District Court, he is the only judge in Texas history to preside over the exoneration of a deceased individual; he was longtime criminal-justice reform advocate.
• Robert N. McClelland was a surgeon for John F. Kennedy at Parkland Hospital in Dallas on the day of his assassination.
• Harold Moss, the first African-American mayor of Tacoma, Washington
• Thomas F. Proctor, a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses, he won the 1994 edition of the Breeders' Cup Distaff
• Robert L. Stephens, record-setting test pilot

• The Michelle Shocked song "Memories of East Texas" recalls her experiences growing up in Gilmer.^[27]

• Herald Democrat (July 25, 1919). "Texas mob hangs Negro". The Herald Democrat. Leadville, Colorado. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
• Richmond Times-Dispatch (August 3, 1919). "Four Held In Lynching". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia: Times Dispatch Pub. Co. pp. 1–54. ISSN 2333-7761. OCLC 9493729. Retrieved August 3, 2019.

• City of Gilmer official website.