
Hello 2025
Hello 2025
This Joppa website was created in 2023
Residents & Visitors have been enjoying Historic Joppa Iron Truss Bridge for 117+ years!
TIME SENSITIVE
Please, write to our two Representiaves, in your own words as clearly as possible and it doesn't need be long. READ MORE on our Water Crisis Page on this web site
Saturday March 1 - Coffee on the Bridge - beginning at 8 Am - 'til....
Joppa Iron Truss Bridge PROJECT - see Save Our Bridge Page for progress updates
Update: as of Oct 29, 2024 - The electricity is live, outlets operational, timer is installed.
WE ARE IN A CRITICAL DROUGHT - Stage 4
Average rainfall for Burnet County is 32-33" per year
(1954 was approx 9.98")
2008 - 9.7"
2019 - very rainy year
2020 - average rain year
Rain Gauge located at Joppa beginning 2021:
2021 gauge captured 22.13"
2022 gauge captured 16.01" (most was in Aug & Nov)
2023 gauge captured 27.35”
2024 gauge captured 27.65"
(Stratus Rain Gauge wide 4" funnel, 11 inch capacity)
Drought Status: Stage 4 Critical Drought
Read more here: https://centraltexasgcd.org/drought-status-stage-4-critical-drought/
District Issues Mandatory Drought Water Reductions for 2025
Contact the CTGC District office at 512-756-4900 if you have furher questions.
Websites showing historic percipitation averages
Annual https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/burnet/most-yearly-precipitation
Monthly https://data.thegleaner.com/weather-data/burnet-county/48053/1914-02-01/
WATER WATER WATER! "Burnet County Runs on Water"
Sign up for the NEW NEWSLETTER at Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District
VIEW our Water Crisis Page for more information on our Groundwater situation
** BURN BAN IS IN EFFECT ** for Burnet County as of 9/24/24
Guidelines at: https://www.burnetcountytexas.org/page/environ.burn
NEW! View Burnet County Commissioners Court Meetings on their YouTube Channel. View LIVE in real time, or view later https://www.youtube.com/@burnetcountygovernment6512/streams
Welcome to Joppa Community
Note: This web site is best viewed on a computer versus a smaller mobile device
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.
Coffee on the Bridge ~ Coffee & Conversation
First Saturday each month, 8am until whenever. . Hot coffee & breakfast goodies
What a WONDERFUL tradition!
January 21, 2025
A Neighbor Muscovy Duck strolls down CR-210.
He did make it back to his home.
1907 Historic Joppa Iron Truss Bridge to be stabilized for public enjoyment
Christmas 2024 - Beautiful!
Christmastime AT JOPPA PHOTO GALLERY - scroll left or right through photos from 2018 to the present.
Christmastime Photo Gallery above Joppa Bridge Christmas Videos & Photos can also be viewed and downloaded ONLINE (Google Drive)*
YouTube PLAYLIST: Joppa Bridge at Christmastime (YouTube playlist) wtih music
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.
According to 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)
December 2024
Beautiful 3/4 life size Nativity on Burnet Courthouse Square
Links to Web Sites of Interest and Videos
3 Texas Towns Unique Names w Biblical Roots
2015 Article Joppa Church, a safe harbor in history
2016 Historical Commission works to save Burnet Co iron bridges
2017 'Iron Bridges back to Commissioners' article in The Highlander
2018 Dedications Joppa + Russell Fork Iron Bridges
Burnet County Historical Commission
Burnet County Historical Commission (facebook page)
Historical Marker Database - Joppa Community
2015 Jesse Burnam, Historical Marker Burnet Co
Purple Martin Conservation Association
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
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