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History in
a Pecan Shell
The
town’s post office was open from 1899 to 1921.
Originally called Teddy (see vintage
maps below), the name was changed around 1903, when a local businessman
J. O. H. Bennett changed it to Byspot, his wife’s name (Topsy) spelled
backward and adding a B.*
Bennett also owned and operated a narrow-gauge railroad that took
logs to Conroe which
was acquired by the Delta Land and Timber Company in 1926 and abandoned
in 1931.
The community no longer appears on the list of US Geological Survey
place names. |
Byspot, Texas
Related Articles
Unique
Town Names by Bob
Bowman
"Byspot is a good example. Settled in 1899 in San Jacinto County,
it was first known as Teddy, but in 1903 J.O. Bennett changed the
community’s name to Byspot, a name derived from spelling his wife
Topsy’s name backward and adding a B. Bennett owned and operated
a logging tram railroad, indicating Byspot was a logging community."
more
The
Conroe, Byspot and Northern: A Tram Railroad That Time Forgot
by W
T. Block, Jr.
"...J. O. H. Bennette first built a log railroad in 1898 from
his sawmill at old Security, some five miles across Peach Creek
to his "log front" at Teddy or Byspot in southwest San
Jacinto County. At first, the log front was named Teddy for
the new hero of San Juan Hill (Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish-American
War), but Bennette soon changed the name to Byspot, which was
the first 6 letters of his wife's name (Topsy Bennette), spelled
backwards...more"
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*Spelling
things in reverse order (like Saxet
in East Texas ) was a
method of naming towns – when there wasn’t anyone (or any significant
local geographical formation) to honor. |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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