On July 4, 2019, I decided to treat myself and take a drive in my new car to Cumby, a small city south of Commerce. I enjoy traveling to historical sites when I have the opportunity and take photographs of old buildings, and this spontaneous trip did not disappoint. Cumby was founded as Black Jack Grove in 1848, shortly after the state joined the United States. At that time, the city included several wood cabins, a grocery store, and post office. Like many other settlements in the Lone Star State at the time, the population was sparse. The citizens renamed their city Cumby in 1896, in honor of Robert H. Cumby, a distinguished Civil War veteran and one of the wealthiest plantation owners in Rusk County in the mid-nineteenth century. Since the turn of the twentieth century, the city has enjoyed a small amount of growth in population and businesses, and has greatly benefited from trade with other surrounding cities in Hopkins County. I was fascinated at the antiqued spirit the town held and appreciated the calmness Cumby had on that day as I walked in the footsteps of those before us. Rural America is a captivating place!
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| You do not find many of these local gas stations anymore... |
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| Cumby's main café on the Main Street- it appeared to be closed when I visited. |
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| First Presbyterian Church in Cumby. This is one of the handful of churches in the small community. |
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| Cumby's fire station. Many smaller cities in Texas heavily rely on volunteer firefighters. |
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Some cities in Texas do not have an elaborate, concrete courthouse/town hall. Cumby's city hall is a small, one-story building on Main Street.
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| Close-up of the abandoned gas station pumps. I walked in the footsteps of Cumby's ghosts on this excursion. |
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