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33-565: The start of the railroad dates back to 1883, with the completion of the Rusk Penitentiary in Rusk, Texas . Built with inmate labor, the original purpose of the railroad was to transport raw materials for the iron smelter located at the Rusk Penitentiary. In 1906, the line reached Maydelle , and by 1909, the line was completed when it reached Palestine . The railroad grew and eventually expanded to freight and passenger service, but it

66-541: A dry city or county may face is the loss of tax revenue because drinkers are willing to drive across city, county or state lines to obtain alcohol. Counties in Texas have experienced this problem, which led to some of its residents to vote towards going wet to see their towns come back to life commercially. Although the idea of bringing more revenue and possibly new jobs to a town may be appealing from an economic standpoint, moral opposition remains present. One study finds that

99-640: A dry county containing wet cities). In 1906, just over half of U.S. counties were dry. The proportion was larger in some states; for example, in 1906, 54 of Arkansas's 75 counties were completely dry, influenced by the anti-liquor campaigns of the Baptists (both Southern and Missionary ) and Methodists . Although the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed nationwide Prohibition in

132-440: A loss of profits and taxes from the sale of alcohol to their residents in wet (non-prohibition) areas. The reason for maintaining prohibition at the local level is often religious in nature, as many evangelical Protestant Christian denominations discourage the consumption of alcohol by their followers ( see Christianity and alcohol , sumptuary law , and Bootleggers and Baptists ). A 2018 study of wet and dry counties in

165-585: A population of 5,285. The town was established by an act of the Texas Legislature on April 11, 1846. It was named after Thomas Jefferson Rusk , signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence . By 1850, Rusk reportedly had 355 residents. A post office was authorized on March 8, 1847. The city of Rusk is no longer dry ; a beer and wine local option election passed on May 9, 2009. Three years later, in 2012, another local option election

198-418: A similar proportion of crashes in wet and dry counties are alcohol-related. Other researchers have pointed to the same phenomenon. Winn and Giacopassi observed that residents of wet counties most likely have "shorter distances (to travel) between home and drinking establishments". From their study, Schulte and colleagues postulate that "it may be counter productive in that individuals are driving farther under

231-654: Is from Rusk. He was the first to hail from Rusk to play in the NFL. Cody Glenn , a former Nebraska standout and former NFL player, is from Rusk. MLB player Chris James was born in Rusk. Dry county In the United States, a dry county is a county whose local government forbids the sale of any kind of alcoholic beverages . Some prohibit off-premises sale, some prohibit on-premises sale, and some prohibit both. The vast majority of counties now permit

264-665: Is underlain by glauconite -rich sediments which, in most parts of town, have weathered to dark reddish brown fine sandy loam topsoil over dark red clay subsoil characteristic of the Nacogdoches soil series. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Rusk has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Jim Hogg Park and Rusk State Park are in Rusk. The longest footbridge in

297-546: Is water. Rusk is crossed by U.S. Routes 69 and 84 . US 69 leads northwest 14 miles (23 km) to Jacksonville , the largest city in Cherokee County, and southeast 43 miles (69 km) to Lufkin , while US 84 leads east 30 miles (48 km) to Mount Enterprise and west the same distance to Palestine . Rusk is approximately 160 miles (260 km) north of Houston , 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Dallas , and 40 miles (64 km) south of Tyler . Rusk

330-623: The Eightieth Texas Legislature (2007) passed Senate Bill 1659 which allowed for the creation of the Texas State Railroad Authority, and conveyed ownership of real estate and rolling stock to the Authority. The RoW was leased to the Authority for 99 years. The Authority leases operation of the line to qualified railroad operators. On September 1, 2007, the Texas State Railroad Authority leased

363-576: The Rusk State Hospital in Rusk. At that site, the Texas Prison System previously operated the Rusk Penitentiary. Rusk has been home to three former governors , James Stephen Hogg , Thomas M. Campbell , and John B. Kendrick ( Governor of Wyoming ). Rusk has also been the home to Jim Swink , Adrian Burk and Johnny Horton . Anthony Denman , former Notre Dame All American, Most Valuable Player and former NFL player,

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396-766: The Surface Transportation Board approved an operating agreement between the Texas State Railroad Authority and the Rusk, Palestine & Pacific Railroad (RP&P) for the latter to perform common carrier freight service over the Rusk-to-Palestine line using the RP&;P name. In May 2017, the line was leased to the Texas & Eastern Railroad to carry on the freight services, the RP&P being dissolved in January 2018. The freight trains bear

429-568: The Texas & Eastern name, but the passenger excursions continue to operate under the Texas State Railroad name. The Texas & Eastern interchanges with the Union Pacific at Palestine, and carries primarily construction aggregates, industrial products and chemicals. Rusk, Texas Rusk is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County , Texas , United States. At the 2020 United States census , it had

462-454: The U.S. found that "Even controlling for current religious affiliations , religious composition following the end of national Prohibition strongly predicts current alcohol restrictions." In rural Alaska , restrictions on alcohol sales are motivated by problems with alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related crime . Since the 21st Amendment repealed nationwide Prohibition in the United States, alcohol prohibition legislation has been left to

495-454: The United States , prohibition under state or local laws is permitted. Prior to and after repeal of nationwide Prohibition, some states passed local option laws granting counties and municipalities, either by popular referendum or local ordinance , the ability to decide for themselves whether to allow alcoholic beverages within their jurisdiction. Many dry communities do not prohibit the consumption of alcohol, which could potentially cause

528-419: The age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.3% under

561-462: The age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 39.3% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 154.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 168.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 27,370, and the median income for a family was $ 33,952. Males had a median income of $ 24,271 versus $ 22,438 for females. The per capita income for

594-544: The city was $ 11,688. About 16.2% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over. At the 2020 American Community Survey, the median household income increased to $ 48,235 with a mean income of $ 63,832. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (18.8 km ), of which 0.03 square miles (0.07 km ), or 0.37%,

627-416: The city was 62.71% White , 30.01% African American , 0.18% Native American , 0.96% Asian , 5.15% from other races , and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.92% of the population. By 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau tabulated a population of 5,285 with a predominantly non-Hispanic white population. In 2010 there were 1,306 households, out of which 32.3% had children under

660-528: The discretion of each state, but that authority is not absolute. States within the United States and other sovereign territories were once assumed to have the authority to regulate commerce with respect to alcohol traveling to, from, or through their jurisdictions. However, one state's ban on alcohol may not impede interstate commerce between states who permit it. The Supreme Court of the United States held in Granholm v. Heald (2005) that states do not have

693-492: The home county of Jack Daniel's , a major American producer of whiskey, is a dry county and so the product is not available at stores or restaurants within the county. The distillery , however, sells commemorative bottles of whiskey on site. A study in Kentucky suggested that residents of dry counties have to drive farther from their homes to consume alcohol, thus increasing impaired driving exposure, although it found that

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726-821: The influence of alcohol, thus, increasing their exposure to crashes in dry counties". Data from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that in Texas , the fatality rate in alcohol-related accidents in dry counties was 6.8 per 10,000 people over a five-year period. That was three times the rate in wet counties: 1.9 per 10,000. A study in Arkansas came to a similar conclusion - that accident rates were higher in dry counties than in wet. Another study in Arkansas noted that wet and dry counties are often adjacent and that alcoholic beverage sales outlets are often located immediately across county or even on state lines. Another issue

759-632: The nation ( c.  1861 ) and the longest zip line in Texas are located in Rusk. The Texas State Railroad operates between Rusk and Palestine . The Heritage Center of Cherokee County & Cherokee Civic Theater are located in Rusk. The city of Rusk and surrounding rural areas are served by the Rusk Independent School District . The United States Postal Service operates the Rusk Post Office. The Texas Department of State Health Services operates

792-716: The operations of the TSRR to American Heritage Railways, which also operates the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) in Colorado and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) in North Carolina . In August 2012, American Heritage Railways abandoned the lease and Iowa Pacific Holdings leased operations. In addition to continuing passenger operations, Iowa Pacific Holdings opened

825-524: The power to regulate interstate shipments of alcoholic beverages . Therefore, it may be likely that municipal, county, or state legislation banning possession of alcoholic beverages by passengers of vehicles operating in interstate commerce (such as trains and interstate bus lines) would be unconstitutional if passengers on such vehicles were simply passing through the area. Following two 1972 raids on Amtrak trains in Kansas and Oklahoma , dry states at

858-438: The railroad allows visitors to ride trains pulled by antique diesel and steam locomotives between the park's Victorian-style depots and through the forests of East Texas . The railroad also has a long history of film and television productions, such as episodes of NBC 's Revolution . The Texas State Railroad operates both steam and diesel locomotives , with build dates ranging from 1901 to 1958: In September 2012,

891-620: The sale of alcohol in at least some circumstances, but some dry counties remain, mostly in the Southern United States ; the largest number are in Arkansas , where 34 counties are dry. A number of smaller jurisdictions also exist, such as cities, towns, and townships, which prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages and are known as dry cities , dry towns , or dry townships . Dry jurisdictions can be contrasted with "wet" (in which alcohol sales are allowed and regulated) and " moist " (in which some sales of alcohol are permitted, or

924-478: The shift from bans on alcohol to legalization causes an increase in crime. The study finds that "a 10% increase in drinking establishments is associated with a 3 to 5% increase in violent crime. The estimated relationship between drinking establishments and property crime is also positive, although smaller in magnitude". Dry and moist counties in Kentucky had a higher rate of meth lab seizures than wet counties;

957-479: The time that state repealed its alcoholic prohibition on January 1, 2021, the date it came into force, making all its counties "wet" by default and allowing alcohol sales unless they vote to become dry again through a referendum. In Florida , three of its 67 counties are dry, all of which are located in the northern part of the state, an area that has cultural ties to the Deep South . Moore County, Tennessee ,

990-621: The time, the bars on trains passing through the two states closed for the duration of the transit, but the alcohol stayed on board. A 2004 survey by the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association found that more than 500 municipalities in the United States are dry, including 83 in Alaska . Of Arkansas 's 75 counties, 34 are dry. 36 of the 82 counties in Mississippi were dry or moist by

1023-584: The track to the main line in Palestine on November 1, 2012, to begin offering freight services. The Western Group replaced Iowa Pacific Holdings as operator in May 2017 and was in turn replaced by Jaguar Transport Holdings of Joplin, Missouri in November 2020. The leading supporters of keeping the railroad operational are State Senator Robert Nichols, along with State Representative Cody Harris. The schedule of

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1056-472: Was held, to consider liquor sales. It also passed. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 5,285 people, 1,210 households, and 866 families residing in the city. At the 2010 U.S. census , there were 5,551 people, 1,306 households, and 867 families residing in the city. The population density was 745.4 inhabitants per square mile (287.8/km ). There were 1,539 housing units at an average density of 225.6 per square mile (87.1/km ). The racial makeup of

1089-502: Was not profitable. Regular train service by the state ceased in 1921 and the line was leased to various railroad companies until 1969. In 1972, the Texas Legislature turned the railroad over to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to be used as a state park . However, by 2006, the train cost the state of Texas $ 1 million per year more to maintain and to operate than the revenue from the park generated. Because of budget concerns,

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