Timpson is a city in Shelby County, Texas, United States. The population was 989 at the 2020 census. The community is named after T.B Timpson, a railroad engineer.

History

Timpson was founded in 1885 upon the arrival of the Houston, East and West Texas Railway. It reached its maximum population in 1925 when it was important in the shipping of lignite.

The town became well known in the 1930s and 1940s via the popularity of the Tex Ritter song 'Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair', which refers to the string of towns in Shelby County.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.5 km), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km) is land and 0.40% is water.

Timpson is located at the convergence of U.S. Route 59 (Future Interstate 69) and U.S. Route 84.

Like all "railroad" towns, Timpson was laid out with the railroad, and not north and south as most towns are. Therefore, the streets run at an angle of 43 degrees "off". When the town was incorporated, Charlie Noblet's map was adopted and is now on record at the county seat, and is the official map of the city today.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 989 people, 412 households, and 279 families residing in the city. The median age was 37.1 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.4 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 412 households in Timpson, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 29.1% were married-couple households, 24.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 43.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 529 || 53.5%

|-

| Black or African American || 318 || 32.2%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 5 || 0.5%

|-

| Asian || 6 || 0.6%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 44 || 4.4%

|-

| Two or more races || 87 || 8.8%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 117 || 11.8%

|}

2000 census

As of the 2000 census

Lake Timpson Dam is on Blackwater Creek and is used for recreation purposes. Construction was completed in 1956. It is owned by Shelby Co Freshwater Supply District No 1, located in Timpson, Texas. Lake Timpson Dam is of earthen construction. The core is homogeneous, earth. The foundation is unlisted or unknown. Its height is with a length of . Maximum discharge is per second. Its capacity is . Normal storage is .

The most popular game fish at Timpson Reservoir is the largemouth bass. Numbers of bass are relatively high and an excellent fishery exists. Due to the 14-21 inch slot limit, Timpson produces a good number of trophy-sized bass. Crappie and catfish are present in the reservoir, but numbers are relatively low and few anglers target these species. Bluegill and redear sunfish provide fair fishing, especially for youth or inexperienced anglers.

Notable people

  • Bert Coan, football player, was born in Timpson
  • Ardath Mayhar, fantasy and science-fiction writer, was born in Timpson
  • Terry Bussey, football player, was born in Timpson

References

  • Timpson online
  • Timpson information