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neighbors
Welcome to Joppa Community
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The purpose of our site is to help preserve & share the stories and history of Joppa and nearby communities for future generations; to provide a resource for sharing history, articles, stories, photos, current events, videos, and more. No personal information will be shared.
Navigating this site: depending on what browser and device you are using, Page Names are listed upper left corner (4 horizontal lines)of each page, or across the top of the page, or at the bottom of each page.
INDEX of Pages:
The Early Pioneer Families New families content recently added June 23
Visit all of the pages, listed on menu. ** SEE bottom of page for HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE **
Texas Historical Commission Marker erected in 1979 by Texas Historical Commission. The inscription reads:
Some of the first settlers in this farming and ranching community were the William Alexander Faires family in 1874 and the Martin Luther Ater family the next year. The settlement was called "Pool Branch" for a nearby pool formed by a waterfall. In the 1880s a cotton gin and mill were located on the pool which was known as "Mill Pond". There was a store, a blacksmith shop, and one mile from the gin, Mrs. Hattie Snow Smith ran a hat shop in her home.
J. S. and Jane Danford of Delaware County, Iowa, gave two acres in 1881 for a school and church, provided the schoolhouse was completed by March 1, 1882. Area residents met the deadline.
With the establishment of a post office in 1891, the community's name changed to the biblical, "Joppa". William F. Childers served as the first postmaster. After the coming of rural mail delivery, the post office closed in 1904.
Worship was held in the Joppa Schoolhouse until 1913 when the Joppa Baptist Church congregation erected this meetinghouse. The Joppa School consolidated with Bertram in 1942. All that remains of the pioneer settlement is the church house and school building which serves as a Community Center.
History of the Joppa Bridge Lighting Tradition
See below to view JOPPA BRIDGE PHOTO GALLERY - scroll left or right through photos from 2018 to the present. YouTube playlist: Joppa Bridge at Christmastime (YouTube playlist)
In 2007 the church, while having a Christmas Party, had the idea, from T.J. Morris, to decorate the bridge and also expressed that they could also sing Christmas carols on the bridge. Paul Honaker was instrumental in making it happen. Some others in the community started helping after 2016 when the church was short on volunteers. So it became a joint effort with the Coffee on Historic Bridge group.
An email group, known as Our Joppa Community, formed. Neighbor Delbert Cain, who has been involved with "all things Joppa," gets the word out every year.
Per Susann H: The lighting of the Joppa Bridge idea started brewing at a gathering at the Joppa Community Center aka Fellowship Hall around 2007. T J Morris had the idea. Paul Honaker got behind it and made it happen. He strung heavy duty cords from the electrical box at Joppa Church to the bridge. Paul strung all the high lights that required climbing. He was so excited to drive to the church early a.m. to turn on the lights for the kids on the bus to see and enjoy. Over the years, he improved on the previous year. David Giles helped him trench a ditch and bury an electrical line. My daughters remembered that Paul single handedly decorated the bridge in November, 2016. It warms my heart that our community has gotten behind the lighting of the bridge.
This special tradition lives on today, through the efforts of friends & neighbors, typically Thanksgiving weekend. Click for fun bridge videos Joppa Bridge Christmases past (turn sound on)
You can Participate in evolution of this website
** Please share Stories, Memories, Photos **
Please share current or historic stories and photos of Pool Branch and Joppa Community
Please share old photos for our web collection; and stories of "back in the day"; all information and stories about the area families, ranches, farms, farmhouses. See "Early Families" page
ALSO, do you have your own personal or humorous stories centered around our historic Joppa Bridge?
Marriage Proposals, Picnics, Family Reunions, Weddings, other special ocassion or humerous stories.
Please share them with us.
1890s A.R. Smith Home off of CR-210