unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
Central Texas
Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas roughly bordered on the west by San Saba, to the southeast by Bryan- College Station, the south by San Marcos and to the north by Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part ...
, United States. According to the
Handbook of Texas
The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...
, it had a population of 40 in 2000.
History
The area was originally settled around 1875 and was originally named "Theney" for W. F. Matheney, a man who owned a trading post. Comyn was renamed "Comyn" for M. T. Comyn, who was the construction foreman for the railroad around 1881 when the Texas Central Railroad was built through the
townsite
A townsite is a legal subdivision of land for the development of a town or community. In the historical development of the United States, Canada, and other former British colonial nations, the filing of a townsite plat (United States) or plan ( ...
and a depot opened. A post office was established at Comyn in 1909 and remained in operation until the late 1950s. The town also had a lumberyard, a
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
shop, a
cotton gin
A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...
, several stores, and a
Woodmen of the World
WoodmenLife (officially Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society) is a not-for-profit fraternal benefit society founded in 1890, based in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that operates a large privately held insurance company for its members. ...
lodge. In 1918, the Humble Pipeline Company built a pipeline connecting Comyn with the Humble company's terminal at Webster. A tank farm was built in the community and a large
tent city
A tent city is a temporary housing facility made using tents or other temporary structures.
State governments or military organizations set up tent cities to house evacuees, refugees, or soldiers. UNICEF's Supply Division supplies expandable te ...
arrived, but construction ended in 1919. The Humble Oil pipeline was then expanded west toward Kempner, while its trunk line was expanded to Webster. Decreasing oil production in
West Texas
West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the desert climate, arid and semiarid climate, semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, Abilene, Texa ...
led to Comyn's decline. In 1976, Comyn had a Baptist church, a Humble Oil Company (now
Exxon
Exxon Mobil Corporation ( ) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston. Founded as the largest direct successor of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the modern company was form ...
) office, and the Shell Peanut Company. Most businesses left the area by 1980, but the oil company continued to have its office and pump station in the community. Comyn's population was 30 in 1974 and 27 in 1974 through 1990. However, in 2000 the population of Comyn was reported to have grown to 40.
Today, Comyn has a cemetery, numerous homes, and the Golden Peanut Company, which is still in operation. Numerous storage tanks can be seen along FM 1496 at the Golden Peanut Company's plant, which was once used by Humble Pipeline Company to store oil but has since been converted to store peanuts. Comyn continues to retain its rail service. The former Texas Central
Katy Railroad
Katy or KATY may refer to:
People and Characters
* Katy, a short form of the name Katherine
* Katy (given name)
* Katy (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a fictional character
* Katy Perry
* Katie Perry, Australian fashion designer
* Katy Perry (prison ...
line is still in use by the
Fort Worth and Western Railroad
The Fort Worth and Western Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Operating only within the state of Texas, its main freight service route is between Carrollton, Fort Worth and Brownwood.
History
Much ...
from
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
to Gorman and is still known as the "Peanut Line". It leads its way from the
Waco
Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 population of 146,608, making i ...
area to Stamford, with a branch from De Leon to Cross Plains.
In 1969, a historical marker was erected in Comyn. According to the marker, the rapid settlement of this area followed after the removal of an Indian threat. One of the first families to settle in Comyn was that of B. F. Barnes, at nearby Jones Crossing, in 1876. His great-grandson Ben Barnes, a former
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...
, was raised in Comyn. It also had a drug store, a cafe, and a barbershop.
A
balloon
A balloon is a flexible membrane bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. For special purposes, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), ...
that was sent to the United States during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
from
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
was spotted in Comyn. It was described as being about high in the air and carried five metal canisters.
Geography
Comyn is located in the east-northeastern part of Comanche County, along Farm to Market Road 1496 and the
Fort Worth and Western Railroad
The Fort Worth and Western Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. Operating only within the state of Texas, its main freight service route is between Carrollton, Fort Worth and Brownwood.
History
Much ...
. It is also located approximately south of
Texas State Highway 6
State Highway 6 (SH 6) runs from the Red River of the South, Red River, the Texas–Oklahoma state line, to northwest of Galveston, Texas, Galveston, where it is known as the Old Galveston Highway. In Sugar Land and Missouri City, it is k ...
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
Comanche
The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...
.
Education
Comyn's first school was named Theney School. Another school was built in Comyn in 1924 and remained in operation until 1952, when low enrollment forced it to close. Today, the community is served by the De Leon Independent School District.