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  • Bob Bowman's East Texas

    Town Names

    by Bob Bowman
    Bob Bowman

    If you’ve ever wondered how some East Texas towns got their names, you may be surprised at some of the origins.

    Some town names seem obvious, but are not. Everyone assumes that Ben Franklin in Delta County was named for one of our nation’s founding fathers. Actually, it was named for Ben Franklin Simmons, son of Ben J. Simmons, who was granted ten sections of land in 1854.

    And Boston in Bowie County was not named for the Massachusetts city, but for pioneer storekeeper W.J. Boston. Bowie County actually has three Bostons: Boston, Old Boston and New Boston, the county seat.

    And, despite a long-standing story, Dobbin in Montgomery County wasn’t named for an old horse, but for Garrett A. Dobbin. And Mayflower in Newton County wasn’t named for the Pilgrims’ ship, but for flowers growing in the spring.

    Some towns borrowed names from other places or people, but reversed the spelling. Good examples are Reklaw (Walker) in Cherokee County, Sacul (Lucas) in Nacogdoches, and Remlig (Gilmer) in Jasper County.

    Moscow in Polk County was once known as Greenville, but when it sought a post office, the name was rejected because a Greenville already existed in Texas. A disgruntled townsman said: “Send in Moscow; it’s far enough so there can’t be any objections.” Sure enough, there wasn’t.

    The name of Slocum in Anderson County was suggested by E.T. McDaniel who said the town’s development would be slow to come, but he felt it would eventually happen.

    Acol, an old logging community, was located in several counties because it had a mobile post office that moved with the loggers. The name came by combining the initials of Angelina County Lumber Company.

    Direct in Lamar County supposedly got its name while Indians were holding a pow-wow across the Red River. They were out of whiskey, but knew a saloon was across the river in Texas. One of the Indians supposedly said, “I am going direct to Texas.” The name was submitted for a post office in 1884.

    Dodge in Walker County was named when railroad officials decided to run a line around Huntsville and, in the process, “dodged” the town. A nearby railroad switch became “Dodge.”

    E.A. McCammack, an early settler, gave Choice in Shelby County its name because he felt it was a “choice” place to live.

    The name of Cuthand in Red River County came from a creek which was named when an Indian cut his hand while working beside the stream.

    The name of Fastrill, an old logging community in Cherokee County, came from parts of the names of three Diboll lumbermen, F.F. Farrington, P;H. Strauss, and Will Hill.

    Poke Hindman owned a store in Fannin County and wanted a post office. All of his name suggestions were rejected, so he submitted “Telephone” since he was the only person in the community with one.

    Pluck in Polk County was named by George Deason because, in his opinion, a man had to have “pluck” to locate there.

    The name of Talco in Titus Country was derived in 1913 from using the first letters of each word of the Texas, Arkansas and, Louisiana Candy Company (and the o from Company).

    When Pickton in Hopkins County was founded, two men were appointed to “pick a name for the town.” They suggested ‘Pick Town,” which was later shortened.

    Bob Bowman's East Texas
    January 26, 2011 Column.
    A weekly column syndicated in 109 East Texas newspapers

    More on Naming of Texas Towns

  • Texas on a First-name Basis
    Of the roughly 2,000 town names on the official state map, over 400 of them are first names.
  • The Naming of Names
  • Those strange town names by Bob Bowman
    While some early East Texans named their towns for families, their hometowns or landmarks, othes were a tad more creative...
  • Unique town names by Bob Bowman
  • Jasper and Newton Counties, Beyond the Sabine
  • Despite odd names all over Lone Star State, 'Top 10' of the U.S. are commonplace here by Bill Bradfield
  • Why did they name it that? by Archie P. McDonald
  • Wonder Why They Named it That by Archie P. McDonald
  • A Geography Lesson by Bob Bowman
  • New Geography - Place name tweaking of several Counties and County Seats by Mike Cox
  • Twin Towns by Mike Cox
  • Cut and Shoot, Gun Barrel City, Gunsight, Point Blank and Winchester by Mike Cox
  • Boo-boo towns by Mike Cox
    The Texas map is sprinkled with cities and towns that got their names by mistake...
  • Population Ranks by Mike Cox
    The historic urban population hierarchy and population figures dating back to 1850...
  • Related Topics:
    East Texas | Texas Town List | Texas |
    (Bob Bowman of Lufkin is the author of almost 50 books about East Texas. He can be reached at bob-bowman.com)
    Bob Bowman's East Texas >
    "All Things Historical" archive >

    Related Topics:

    East Texas
    Texas Towns
    Texas Ghost Towns
    Texas History
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    The Forgotten Towns of East Texas, Vol. I
    By Bob and Doris Bowman
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