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Hamby
Baptist Church
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, July 2009 |
Hamby History
in a Pecan ShellWhere
Taylor County meets the corners of Shackelford, Jones, and Callahan Counties.
Originally (and appropriately) called “Corners” for shared boundaries with
its neighboring counties, the town’s namesake was Georgian Hamby Richardson. Richardson
was a store owner who opened the community’s first business shortly before 1900.
A
post office was granted in 1902 – in Richardson’s store. “Corners” had been rejected
as a name by the bureaucrats in Washington so friends of the storekeeper/ postmaster
suggested applying under his Christian name.
After the establishment of
the post office several other businesses opened and it looked like Hamby was on
its way. But in 1919 the post office closed. By the time the Great Depression
had arrived, Hamby had a mere 20 people living there.
Hamby’s school was
two miles south of town – established in 1903. The Baptist Church was established
in 1906, followed by the Methodists in 1907. That same year the school was moved
to Hamby and a second story was added for lodge meetings.
After WWII
Hamby’s population was around 100 – a figure that continued to be used through
2000.Photographer's
Note:
Town, what
little there is of it, is centered around the churches and school. The VFD built
this very elaborate building a few years back. Probably the fanciest VFD structure
I've ever seen. Don't remember there being any businesses other than an odd one
or two at any one time over the years, and virtually nothing remains of those.
- Mike
Price, July 2009 |
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Hamby
Church Of Christ
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, July 2009 |
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Hamby,
Texas Forum Subject:
Life in Hamby
Along with the Fire Station and Churches shown, there is
an old rock house with pecan trees in the front yard. I lived in that house in
1947-48. Went to school for a year at the 2 room Hamby School and then on to North
Junior High School in Abilene.
Our water was pumped by a windmill to a two story cistern at the back
of the house. The only inside plumbing was running cistern water to the kitchen
sink. A one hole outhouse lent itself to emergency situations, etc. In the summer
we took our baths in a bath house type of room beneath the cistern fitted with
a shower head. In the winter it was a No. 2 washtub in the warmth of the kitchen.
A butane tank, which is still there, did furnish fuel for an O'Keef-Merritt(sp)
oven and a couple of Dearborn stoves.
My Dad worked for Guy Paxton and
Paxton Poster Service on South Oak St. My Mom was an employee of T. S. Langford
& Sons on Walnut Street.
An interesting aside concerning Hamby Richardson
and one of his great, great, great grand daughters. She was the first girl that
I ever dated. We went to a football banquet at North Junior High School in 1948.
Ah, history ! It never stops....................... .
Keep up the good
work at Texas Escapes. I love it !! - Ellis Bewley,
May 14, 2011 |
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Hamby
Vol. Fire Dept.
Photo courtesy Mike
Price, July 2009 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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