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Established as a campsite
Cumby was settled in 1842 by D.W. (Wash) Cole. It was
originally named Black Jack Grove Camping Ground as
early as the 1830s for a strand of blackjack oak trees.
It is said that the Indians in the area would not go
into the grove of trees but would camp nearby. Later,
it became the campsite of a group of Texas Rangers.
A postmaster, John D. Matthews, was appointed in 1848
and had the post office in his home. Mail was received
once a week by horseback.
The early days
D. W. Cole obtained a land patent in 1849 in the area,
bought the grove from Elizabeth M. Wren as part of a
tract of 307 acres, and began to sell township lots
along Tarrant Street the original main thoroughfare
between Sulphur Springs and Greenville. The first mill
was built in 1851 and in short order settlers came and
a tavern was built. It is said that Sam Houston would
stop at the home of one of the early settlers when in
that area. In 1857, the name was changed to Theodosia,
but the residents were not happy with that name, and
in 1858 it was changed back to Black Jack Grove.
Town takes shape
In 1860, the census showed the town had four grocery
stores, five merchants, two physicians, one "lady
doctoress," six wagon makers, two millers, two
blacksmiths, one saddle maker, three teachers, two carpenters,
two preachers and one brick mason. The town had also
earned a reputation as a tough frontier town, where
the worst people in the county congregated and violent
fights were common. On Christmas Day 1866 a gun battle
over a horse race resulted in the death of five men.
Joins Civil War efforts
When the Civil War started men from Black Jack Grove
formed Company K of Col. William B. Sims's Ninth Texas
Cavalry. It was mustered on July 3, 1861. Jim P. Williams
was elected captain and Mose Brown first lieutenant.
At the battle of Elkhorn, Company K was the first to
plant its flag in the Union battery. Many young men
in the area went forth to fight. Many did not return.
Churches and other organizations formed
A Masonic Lodge was chartered in 1856, with its first
building being erected in 1860. This building later
burned, and the present lodge building was built. It
is a two-story structure standing on the corner of Main
Street and Highway 275. A Presbyterian church was organized
near the Mt. Zion community (a few miles north of Black
Jack Grove) and land was purchased in Black Jack Grove
in 1882. The Methodists worshipped in an old school
house, then with the Presbyterians, and bought land
for their own church in 1892. The original Baptist church
records were burned, but it appears that a church existed
as early as 1876.
Expansion continues
The East Line and Red River Railroad reached Black Jack
Grove in 1880, and the town gradually began to lose
its roughness. The first school was built. It was a
log structure, but from 1895 to 1905, there was a college
at Black Jack Grove called the Independent Normal College.
It was led by Professor R. L. Taylor, and later by a
Professor Curlee, and the name was changed to Curlee
College. The first bank was formed in 1901; electric
lights were first installed in 1913.
Name changes
In 1896, there were two towns in Texas with the name
Black Jack Grove, each with a post office, which created
some confusion. This resulted in another name change,
and the name was changed to Cumby, after a politician
named Bob Cumby. Cumby was incorporated on May 13, 1911,
after a vote of 86 in favor and 44 against the motion.
Texas Ranger legend emerges
Cumby has only one cemetery, with the earliest tombstone
reflecting the death of Urbane Alexander who died on
December 20, 1853. There is a legend about a Texas Ranger
having died at the camping grounds in 1839 and having
been buried in the woods north of town. A grave was
unearthed there about 1934, and some think it was the
grave of the Texas Ranger. The town reached a peak population
of 925 in 1929.
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