Carthage.
<1> City (2020 pop. 15,522), seat of Jasper co., SW Mo., on
the Spring River; inc. 1873. Its gray marble quarries are the largest of
their kind, and Carthage marble is a major product. Machinery and electronic
products are also made. Carthage was the scene of a Confederate victory on
July 5, 1861; the city was burned but rebuilt after the war. Of note are the
log-cabin courthouse (1842) and the George Washington Carver National
Monument, site of Carver's birthplace, at nearby Diamond.
<2> Town (2020 pop. 6,569), seat of Panola co., NE Tx..
Founded in 1847, Carthage was the home of former slave and Union Sgt. Milton
M. Holland, the first Texan to win the Medal of Honor. It was an
agricultural center that grew slowly, spurred by the arrival of the railroad
in 1888. A major oil field was discovered there in the 1930s, making it a
key producer of petroleum in the state. The Texas Country Music Hall of Fame
(1988) is located there, as is Panola Community College. Both country
singers Jim Reeves and Tex Ritter were native to the area.
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