Comyn

In the left background of this photo is a cotton gin built about 1880 by a Mr. Scarbough and a Mr. Decker on the land originally owned by W.F. Matheney.  Pictured here about 1900 at the Post Office are L-R Ed Rackley, Shorty Watson, Erin Fagan, Jake Fagan, Clarence Floyd, Dave Floyd, Nig Caraway is the boy standing on the right.

Postmaster Bud painter is shown in front of a later Comyn Post Office.  Notice the old Comyn sign from the depot on the side of the building.

    Comyn started out as Matheney when W.F. Matheney established a trading post in northeast Comanche County in the 1870’s.  Through use, the name was shortened to Theney (or Theny) as the community grew around the store.

     In early 1881, as the Texas Central Railway built through the area, it established a station in Theney and named it Comyn after M.T. Comyn, a railroad official.  The Comyn name apparently had other ties to the railroad as D. Comyn Moran served as Corporate Secretary of the Texas Central Railroad after the company was reorganized in 1885 following bankruptcy.  The Moran brothers were major investors in the new corporation.

     In the early years, the railroad’s wood burning engines could not stop in Comyn if eastbound, because they could not build up enough power in the short distance to climb Mt. Airy hill.  Westbound trains could stop in Mt. Airy, but generally only stopped in Comyn. 

      Among the early settlers in this area of the county were B.F. Barnes,  great-grandfather of former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes and Sutton “Sut” Jones for whom Jones Crossing on the Leon River is named.  Jones served as jury foreman of the grand jury that indicted John Wesley Hardin.

       The community grew slowly but over the years added several general stores, a post office, a lumber yard, a blacksmith, gin, cafe, and Woodmen of the World meeting hall.  After oil was discovered in Desdemona in September 1918, Comyn experienced rapid growth.   The boom brought prosperity to Comyn as a pipe line was built through the area and Humble Oil built a tank farm.  The drilling for oil lured “The Sleeping Prophet,” Edgar Cayce to Comyn as an advisor on where to drill wells.  Soon Comyn claimed, with only some exaggeration, to be the richest school district in the country.

      Comyn began to decline after World War II.  The new highway constructed between De Leon and Dublin bypassed the community by about a mile to the north.  Then on June 3, 1950 the railroad discontinued passenger service eliminating daily stops in Comyn.

An 1885 Texas Central stock certificate bearing the signature of D. Comyn Moran on the bottom left.

A post card mailed from Dublin to Georgia on  Dec. 26, 1908.

Theney Post Masters

Margaret E. Decker May 2, 1894

John F. Stokley July 30, 1895

William F. Huffman Oct. 24, 1902

Charles L. Dry Jan 22, 1894

John F. Stokley Oct. 22, 1904

Benjamin F. Barnes March 7, 1907

Comyn Post Masters

Benjamin F. Barnes June 3, 1909

William F. Thompson July 21, 1920

Bud L. Painter December 9, 1922