The History of Timpson, Texas
Timpson sits in northwestern Shelby County, about fifteen miles northwest of Center in the East Texas Piney Woods. It was born of the railroad in the 1880s, boomed on timber and lignite, and earned a slice of national fame through a song — a classic East Texas story of rails, sawmills, and small-town character.
Here's how Timpson came to be.
A Town the Railroad Built
Timpson was founded in 1885 when the Houston, East and West Texas Railway was built through the area. The town was named for P. B. Timpson, an engineer on the railroad, and a post office was established that same year with James H. Blankenship as the first postmaster.
Like many railroad towns, Timpson was laid out along the tracks rather than the compass — which is why its streets run at roughly a 43-degree angle 'off' from true north, an unusual grid that still marks the town today. The railroad quickly made Timpson the most important shipping center in the county, the hinge on which the surrounding farm-and-timber country turned.
Sawmills, Lignite, and a 1920s Boom
Timpson grew fast. By 1890 it had a population of about 1,200, with two sawmills, a weekly newspaper, and a canning factory; the town was incorporated by 1892. Several short-line railroads were chartered in connection with Timpson, including the Marshall, Timpson and Sabine Pass Railway, which completed twenty miles of track toward Carthage in 1898.
By the 1920s Timpson had become a shipping point for lignite mined in the area, and the town apparently experienced a boom — its population swelling to an estimated 2,500 by 1927. For a few years it was a bustling Shelby County shipping and trade center, riding the timber and lignite economy of the Piney Woods.
Decline, a Famous Song, and Today
The boom did not last. In the 1930s the boom collapsed, and Timpson began a long, steady decline in population, settling into life as a quiet East Texas town of around a thousand people. But the town's name found unexpected fame: the alliterative string of four Shelby County place names — 'Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair' — became a good-luck chant for crapshooters, who called the string out for a lucky roll of ten. Cowboy singer and actor Tex Ritter recorded it as a song, carrying Timpson's name far beyond Shelby County.
Today Timpson is a small, friendly town on US-59 (the future I-69) and US-84, home of the Timpson Bears, its annual Frontier Days festival, and a heritage rooted firmly in the rails that built it.
Timeline
1885
The Houston, East and West Texas Railway is built through; the town is founded and named for railroad engineer P. B. Timpson. A post office opens with James H. Blankenship as first postmaster.
1890
Population reaches about 1,200, with two sawmills, a weekly newspaper, and a canning factory.
1892
Timpson is incorporated, by now the most important shipping center in Shelby County.
1898
The Marshall, Timpson and Sabine Pass Railway completes twenty miles of track toward Carthage.
1927
A 1920s lignite-shipping boom pushes the population to an estimated 2,500.
1930s
The 1920s boom collapses and Timpson begins a long, steady decline in population.
Notable People
P. B. Timpson
The railroad engineer on the Houston, East and West Texas Railway for whom the town was named when it was founded in 1885.
Ardath Mayhar
Fantasy and science-fiction writer born in Timpson, one of the town's best-known literary figures.
Bert Coan
Professional football player born in Timpson who played in the American Football League for the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.
FAQ: History of Timpson
Timpson is named for P. B. Timpson, an engineer on the Houston, East and West Texas Railway, which was built through the area in 1885. The town was founded that year along the new rail line in northwestern Shelby County.
It strings together four Shelby County place names; one account traces it to a railroad call of stops on the Houston, East and West Texas line. The alliterative phrase became a good-luck chant for dice players hoping for a roll of ten, and cowboy singer Tex Ritter recorded it as a song, carrying Timpson's name far and wide.
Because the town was laid out along the railroad tracks rather than the compass. Timpson's streets run at roughly a 43-degree angle 'off' from true north — a distinctive grid created by the rail line that founded the town in 1885.
Timpson grew on the railroad as a shipping and trade center, with sawmills, a canning factory, and a weekly newspaper by 1890. In the 1920s it became a shipping point for locally mined lignite, fueling a boom that collapsed in the 1930s.
East Texas guides
Region-wide guides that put Timpson in context — where to go, what things cost, and how people actually live here.
A Brief History of East Texas
From Caddo settlements to the oil boom and beyond, discover how centuries of history shaped East Texas communities like Tyler, Kilgore, and Henderson.
Read Guide →Best Day Trips from Tyler and East Texas
Drive-time guide to day trips from Tyler: state parks, small towns, museums, and lakes within about 30 minutes, an hour, and up to three hours.
Read Guide →East Texas Festivals and Annual Events
Season-by-season guide to East Texas festivals and events — Canton's First Monday Trade Days, the Texas Rose Festival, the Yamboree, Wonderland of Lights and more, checked against each host's own site.
Read Guide →East Texas State Parks Guide
Twelve East Texas state parks from TPWD: Tyler, Caddo Lake, Atlanta, Lake Bob Sandlin, Tawakoni, Purtis Creek, Cooper, Martin Dies Jr. and more. Camping, cabins and passes.
Read Guide →Business Owner?
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