Timpson

Timpson. . In 1884, Houston businessman Paul Bremond (1810-1885), and other investors began planning for a new railroad to connect Houston and Shreveport, Louisiana. Surveys soon began along the proposed route, and in 1885 the town of Timpson was founded, named for Paul C. Timpson, the railroad official who laid out the town. The Houston, East and West Texas Railroad, a narrow gauge system, was soon a reality, and the first passenger train arrived in the new town on August 1, 1885., The first businesses in the new town were two stores, separated by a pine thicket which would later be cleared for use as the town square, within a year, the population had grown to 1,000., Within the first year of Timpson's founding, a school was begun, and churches and fraternal organizations were organized. Many businesses were established, including a newspaper; grocery, drug, and other retail stores; an ice company; factories; and banks. The town became an important East Texas lumber, cotton, and rail center, as well., Railroads continued their important role in Timpson until the 1940s, when development of state roads and highways decreased the use of rail shipments. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.