This week’s article was obtained from a booklet on Good Hope Baptist Church, Timpson, Texas on the 100th anniversary dated September 9, 1994.

The community of Blair, located in Shelby County, is a small community of approximately fifty-five families, not counting the area of Lake Timpson which has approximately eighty-seven families. This lake was constructed, beginning in 1950, and, as yet no industry has settled here.

The exact time of origin of this community is unknown, but it is supposedly in the latter part of the 1880s. It is located off Highway 59S, about two miles from Timpson, taking FM 2667, known as the Lake Timpson Road, and this community is approximately a two-mile square area.

Blair Community in its earlier years was a farming community raising corn, cotton, sugar cane, hogs, cattle, tobacco, fruits, and vegetables. There were also cotton gins, sawmills, cabinet shops, grist mills and several independently owned community grocery stores.

Around 1921-1922, underground mining was a major source of income. There were two different shafts, or mines, that were mining for lignite coal. This coal was used for railroad beds, to fire the engines, and some was shipped away. This mining procedure ended in 1926. Mrs. Charles O. (Frances King Corry) Hammer, whose father, Willie Corry, owned part of the land where this coal was mined, has a receipt where her father sold some of the coal for 10 cents per ton.

Timber was also a thriving industry in this area employing a number of people.

We still have in our community a concrete dipping vat located on the Hardage property, that the farmers used in earlier years to run their livestock through a solution to rid these animals of ticks and other insects.

Some of the earliest families in this area were Whitesides, Brittains, Beardens, Dillens, Sapps, Thorntons, Corrys, Tysons, Collins, Askins, Busseys, Powers, Dillons, Nelsons, Yarboroughs, Hardage, Grants, Dunaways, Truitts, Herndons, Basses and Comptons.

This community is one of four Shelby County towns which make up the expression “Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair.” This expression, a crapshooter’s cry meaning the point of ten, was said to have come out of a Shelby County army camp during World War I, and it traveled all over the World II.

Another story is that the cry was originated by a Sante Fe Railway conductor on the branch line that ran from Beaumont to Longview, known as the H.E. and W.T. The song, “Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair” was made popular by Tex Ritter, a popular movie actor, who was raised at Gary, Texas, near Timpson. He is the father of John Ritter, a popular TV star.

The Southern Pacific Railroad runs through this community from Shreveport to Houston, and in earlier days, there was a switch called Gallagher, on the track in this community where the young people would gather and visit and wait from the train to come through. This switch has since been removed. This spot is where you cross the railroad track, turning left to go to the north side of the lake.

There was always a school in this community until consolidation with Timpson in 1937, as did other schools surrounding Timpson.

A very memorable event that can be remembered by the residents of the Blair Community was when the 22-inch natural gas line blew up near the Attoyac River during an overflow on the J.B. “Uncle Jimmy” Askins property in 1927 or 1928. This explosion happened in the night, lighting the skies and causing much disturbance. The chickens, thinking it was daytime, came off the roostand, of course, all the people were disturbed. One of the long pipes blew so high in the air, that when it came down, one-half of it stuck into the ground upright leaving the remainder above ground.

We are so happy to report that the two signs have been placed on Highway 59, as of September 2, 1994, identifying the location of our Blair Community, near FM 2667. A special thanks go to John Gutta of Houston, who has been so instrumental in helping us achieve this goal. Now, the towns and communities “Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair”, in a song made popular many years ago by Tex Ritter can be identified by the signs on Highway 59. Each of us in this community that Mr. Gutta for his interest and concern in this matter.

Blair School

The first school in this community was the Sapp Schoolhouse, and was located on the Stroud Kelley property, previously owned by William Carr Wilson. Near this spot, was a place called “Whitesides Ford” where the children crossed as they walked to school to keep themselves from having to wade water to get to school from the south side of the school building.

Several years later, a larger schoolhouse was built in front of the Blair Cemetery, adjacent to the Good Hope Baptist Church. In the picture accompanying this article in the Class of 1917-1918, there were three teachers and eighty-five students.

This community suffered a great loss when this school was destroyed by fire in the mid-thirties, in April. The students finished this present term in the Baptist and Methodist Churches in this community.

In order to get another building ready for this coming fall term for school, Mr. Cullen Moore and Mr. Percy Dunaway were hired to oversee the construction of this building, with are residents assisting in any was possible. This building was erected across the road from the former school building, with the area residents assisting in any way possible. This building was erected across the road from the former school on the property now owned by Kyle and Doris Gibbs. Her parents Bro. and Mrs. W.H. Magness, now deceased, lived in this same location previously.

When the community schools surrounding Timpson were consolidated with the Timpson Public Schools in the later part of the thirties, this particular school building was moved to Timpson and was used as a Cafeteria in that school.

At the present time, buses pick the students up and bring them home, or they drive to the school.

Note: Memorial donations go toward the upkeep and maintenance of the Shelby County Historical Society. These gifts of remembrance are deeply appreciated and acknowledged. Still have time to renew memberships; these also are a main source of income for the Museum. The museum isn’t funded by any county or city entities. Memberships at this time are at an all-time low while bills are increasing monthly. Your membership would be greatly appreciated. Contact the museum at 936-598-3613 for more information.