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History · Cumby

Cumby’s post office opened in 1896, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 1920.

1896first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Cumby began

When was Cumby founded?

1896

The Cumby post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 945 in 19202020 census: 679130 years
Founding year: the first Cumby post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Cumby’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Cumby are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cumby’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cumby’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Cumby came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cumby.

Read it all →

Originally known as Black Jack Grove as early as 1848, from 1857 to 1858 the post office was renamed to Theodocias. It was renamed again to Black Jack Grove before being renamed a final time to Cumby in 1896. It was named for Confederate army veteran Robert H. Cumby (1825-1881).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cumby, 1896 to 1964

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1896Post officeThe Cumby post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1913Born hereElvan George is born here
  5. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Cumby, decade by decade

Today10 recent
Cumby November 2015 9 (City of Cumby Municipal Building)2015Cumby November 2015 9 (City of Cumby Municipal Buildi…Cumby November 2015 8 (Cumby United Methodist Church)2015Cumby November 2015 8 (Cumby United Methodist Church)Cumby November 2015 7 (Cumby Fire Department)2015Cumby November 2015 7 (Cumby Fire Department)Cumby November 2015 6 (City of Cumby Municipal Building)2015Cumby November 2015 6 (City of Cumby Municipal Buildi…Cumby November 2015 5 (First Baptist Church)2015Cumby November 2015 5 (First Baptist Church)Cumby November 2015 4 (Main Street)2015Cumby November 2015 4 (Main Street)Cumby November 2015 3 (City Park)2015Cumby November 2015 3 (City Park)Cumby November 2015 2 (First Presbyterian Church)2015Cumby November 2015 2 (First Presbyterian Church)Cumby November 2015 1 (United States Post Office)2015Cumby November 2015 1 (United States Post Office)TXMap-doton-Cumby2004TXMap-doton-Cumby
On the map

Cumby on the map, 1964 to 1991

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cumby. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Cumby on the 1964 USGS mapCumby on the 1985 USGS mapCumby on the 1991 USGS map1964Cumby sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cumby.

People over time

Cumby, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 945

Between 447 and 945 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cumby’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Cumby’s history

What year was Cumby founded?

The Cumby post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (10), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.