Chapman Arm

Tira is on Farm Road 1536 thirteen miles north of Sulphur Springs in north central Hopkins County. It was originally known as Chapman Arm for Jimmy Chapman, who settled there in 1850. A Methodist church was organized at the community just after the Civil War, and in 1898 a post office under the name Tira, a corruption of the biblical name Tyre, was established, with Allen L. Payton as postmaster. Will Godfrey opened a gin in 1900, and a public school began operating shortly thereafter. By 1914 Tira had three general stores, a grocer, two cotton gins, and an estimated population of 100. Its post office was closed in 1919, but Tira continued to prosper during the 1920s and early 1930s. In the mid-1930s Tira had a Methodist church, a school, three stores, and a population of 200. In 1945 the Tira School was consolidated with several other schools to form the North Hopkins School. During the 1950s many Tira residents moved away, and by 1952 its population had dropped to forty. The last store closed in 1961, when its owner, Lloyd Smiddy, died. The town, however, began to grow again during the 1960s and 1970s; the population reached 115 in 1966 and 249 in 1986. During the same period a number of new homes were built, and two service stations, a cafe, and a welding shop opened. In 1975 the town incorporated. In 1989 Tira reported a population of 273, and in 1990, 237. The population was 248 in 2000.

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Christopher Long | © TSHA

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Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Chapman Arm is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

No

Place type

Chapman Arm is classified as a Town

Associated Names

  • [-s]
  • (Tira)

Has Post Office

No

Is Incorporated

No