Kendleton, Texas Facts for Kids

"Kendleton" redirects here. For the Kendleton meteorite of 1939, see meteorite falls.

Quick facts for kids Kendleton, Texas
City
Water tower
Location of Kendleton, Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Fort Bend
Area
• Total	1.10 sq mi (2.86 km²)
• Land	1.10 sq mi (2.85 km²)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.01 km²)
Elevation	95 ft (29 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	343
• Density	311.8/sq mi (119.9/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	77451
Area code(s)	979
FIPS code	48-38848
GNIS feature ID	1339029
Website	http://www.kendletontx.net/

Kendleton is a city in western Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located southwest of Sugar Land. It was established by emancipated slaves after the Civil War. The population was 343 at the 2020 census. As of 2011, Darryl Humphrey was the mayor of the city.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
Education
- Primary and secondary schools
  - Public schools
- Colleges and universities
Parks and recreation
Gallery
See also

History

What is now Kendleton was a part of William E. Kendall's plantation. In the 1860s Kendall divided his property into various small farms and sold the plots to African Americans who were former slaves. The community of the farms became known as Kendleton.

In 1882, the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway Company established a railroad track between Rosenberg and Victoria, which passed through Kendleton. In 1884, a post office opened. In 1890, Kendleton had 25 inhabitants and a general store. In 1896, the community had two additional general stores and two churches; one was Baptist and one was Methodist. In 1900, 116 people lived in Kendleton. In 1933, Kendleton had 36 residents. By the late 1940s, Kendleton had approximately 100 residents. In the 1960s and 1970s, the population fluctuated between 150 and 200 people. In 1973, voters approved the incorporation of Kendleton as a city. After incorporation, the population increased to over 600. In 1990, Kendleton had 496 residents. In 2000, Kendleton had 466 residents. According to the Handbook of Texas, area residents estimated that about 2,200 people lived in Kendleton and surrounding areas.

Geography

Map of Kendleton

Kendleton is located in western Fort Bend County at 29°26′52″N 95°59′59″W / 29.44778°N 95.99972°W / 29.44778; -95.99972 (29.447872, –95.999806). Its western boundary is the San Bernard River, the Fort Bend/Wharton County line.

U.S. Route 59, a four-lane divided highway, runs through the city, closely bypassing the original town center which is now served by Texas State Highway Loop 541. Farm to Market Road 2919 runs north from Kendleton to East Bernard. Via US 59 the city is 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Rosenberg and 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Hungerford.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Kendleton has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.9 km²), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km²), or 0.45%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1980	606	—
1990	496	−18.2%
2000	466	−6.0%
2010	380	−18.5%
2020	343	−9.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census

City hall

2020 census

**Kendleton city, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	15	13	3.95%	3.79%
Black or African American alone (NH)	314	219	82.63%	63.85%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	0	1	0.00%	0.29%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	10	0.00%	2.92%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	5	5	1.32%	1.46%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	46	95	12.11%	27.70%
Total	380	343	100.00%	100.00%

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Kendleton is served by the Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (LCISD). Students are zoned to Beasley Elementary School in Beasley, Wright Junior High School (grades 6-8), and Randle High School.

Historically the Kendleton area schools served Kendleton and surrounding communities. In 1903 the school system had 202 African-American students in three schools, and 12 White students in two schools. Previously primary school students attended the Kendleton Independent School District (KISD)'s Powell Point Elementary School, located Powell Point, an unincorporated area north of Kendleton. In 1985 LCISD began serving secondary school students in the KISD territory, while primary school students went to Powell Point.

On March 25, 2010, Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Robert Scott announced that he was closing the Kendleton Independent School District. The closing is effective July 1, 2010. Kendleton ISD will be merged with Lamar Consolidated Independent School District. Commissioner Scott's statement was, "While it saddens me to close a school district, years of effort, including reconstituting its school, have failed to turn this district around. I believe students would be ill-served if Kendleton is allowed to continue to operate. The Texas Education Agency pledges to work with the citizens of Kendleton and Lamar Consolidated to make this transition as smooth as possible." As a result of the closure, students at Powell Point were rezoned to Beasley and Wessendorf. LCISD, for a two-year period, will operate its head start program at Powell Point. In July 2011 mayor Darryl Humphrey said that his community was still recovering from the closing of Pilot Point Elementary.

Previously Kendleton was zoned to Wessendorff Middle School, Lamar Junior High School, and Lamar Consolidated High School of LCISD. Wright and Randle opened in 2021.

Colleges and universities

The designated community college for LCISD is Wharton County Junior College.

Bay Ridge Christian College was located north of Kendleton in an unincorporated section of Fort Bend County.

Parks and recreation

Fort Bend County owns and operates the Bates M. Allen Park, located just outside the city limits of Kendleton. The 235-acre (0.95 km²) park includes a canoe ramp, a fishing pier, grills, a historical site, a lake, an observation deck, two pavilions, a play area, a sand volleyball court, tables, toilet facilities, walking trails and wetlands.

In 2023 the county stated it would add a memorial to African-American settlements, which would mean much of the park would be revamped. The cost would be $4,000,000.