Carbon, Eastland County, Texas

In 1881 the first lot in Carbon, a town on the Texas Central Railway, between Gorman and Cisco was sold to N. S. Haynes, who put up a small business house. An attempt to move the town three miles east having failed, J. F. White established a lumber yard, Mr. Fowler and son put up a cotton gin, and Mt. Train taught school.

From the number of business houses in this little town, shops, hotels and gins, a good weekly newspaper, with a hustling editor; its bank soon to open in its own brick building; its Baptist and Methodist churches, Masonic hall and neat two-story school building. Carbon bids fair to rival some of her more pretentious sister towns. When to this is added the fertile soil (a sandy loam), which produces corn, cotton and a very great variety of vegetables of enormous sizes; also fruit, as apples, peaches, pears, apricots and plums, as well as the grape and berries of all kinds, one is not surprised that the country round about Carbon is being cultivated by thrifty farmers in rapidly increasing numbers.

Among the enterprising business people of Carbon are Finley Bros., dry goods; T. J. Morris, general merchandise; Puett & Son, dry goods; W. A. Seastrunk, hotel, and many others.

There are about six hundred inhabitants. Near this place Mr. J. H. Bransford, who has been in the county many years, successfully irrigates a truck patch.

The Herald. Published Friday, W. T. Curtis, editor and proprietor. The Herald, the local paper for Eastland County, pleases its readers and pays its advertisers, and is strictly a local and county newspaper.

Although not published at the County Town, it brings all court news of importance to the general public. It has a good circulation and is increasing rapidly. Only clean advertising from clean people is inserted.

The Bank of Carbon

Responsibility, $500,000.00. W. H. Eddleman, president; W. A. Waldrop, vice president; J. E. Spencer, cashier.

That so able a financier as W. H. Eddleman is connected with this bank insures its solidarity. That J. E. Spencer, who has been in the banking business for several years, is its cashier, speaks for its popularity, while Mr. Waldrop, the efficient cashier of the Bank of Gorman, only emphasizes the strength of the organization. The Carbon Bank occupies its own two-story brick building

Finley Bros.

W. P. Finley and S. P. Finley.

The members of this firm were born in Tennessee and immigrated to Texas with their parents and the other brothers in 1867. They located in Eastland in the memorable year of 1876, and engaged in farming. Later some of the family lived at Jewell, and in the early '80’s W. P. Finley and Mr. Duke (now of Dallas) merchandised at Cisco.

This firm established itself here in a general merchandise business in 1895 and enjoys a long and growing trade.

The Finleys are substantial and progressive citizens and foster every interest of the promising town.

Mr. S. P. Finley is the able President of the Board of Trustees.

A. C. Poe, M. D.

Dr. Poe was born in Magnolia, Arkansas, and came to Carbon, Texas, in 1896.

He received his education in the public schools of his native State, and took his degree from the Memphis Hospital Medical College.

Dr. Poe is the senior member of the firm of Poe & Moore, Druggists. This firm is one of the three State agents in this county for the supply of school books adopted by the Board of Examiners.

It is such men as Dr. Poe that make a town grow. He believes in the future prosperity of the town, backed by its richly promising agricultural possibilities, and upon this belief he makes his investments.

With C. B. Poe as a partner, the Doctor is interested in a lumber yard, which does a large business and carries a complete and up-to-date stock.

Besides his various business interests this enterprising citizen does an extensive practice. As an evidence of the prosperity of the people of this section, and of their integrity as well, they pay on an average 95 per cent of their physician's accounts.

T. J. Morris Merchant.

On January 14, 1893, with a small stock of "Racket goods," Mr. Morris began business in Carbon. Two years later he erected and moved into a building in the center of the town, where he is still located.

Few men have had more marked success than Mr. Morris. From the small beginning, made a little more than one decade ago, his business has grown until now he handles everything in a general merchandise line. Besides dry goods and groceries, hardware and every conceivable kind of farming implement, he handles furniture and undertaker's goods.

Mr. Morris' energy and ingenuity does not stop here. He is interested in the two gins of Morris Bros, and Fowler at Carbon and Hookers Spur. His latest venture is stocking his fine ranch near town with goats, some of which are thoroughbreds.

It is plainly evident that Mr. Morris invests strictly in Carbon "futures."

Source: History of Eastland County, Texas, by Mrs. George Langston, A. D. Aldridge & Company, Dallas, Texas, 1904.