Delma

Snell's, known variously as Snell's Bluff, Snell's Landing, and Snell's Bend, was located in extreme northeastern Newton County on the Sabine River, 4½ miles from Toledo. The community was named for Adam H. Snell, an Alabama native who came to Texas shortly before 1850. Snell and his brother John established a mercantile and shipping business there after the Civil War. Snell's eventually had a store, a watermill, a gin, and a school, in addition to its river landing. A post office was opened in August 1881. In 1887 the name of the post office was changed from Snell's to Delma. The Delma office was discontinued in 1907. Although Snell's was listed on maps as late as 1925, the growth of the railroads took most of the Sabine River traffic, severely hurting river towns such as Snell's. The completion of the Toledo Bend Dam in 1969 inundated considerable acreage in the area that had once been the base for the Snell brothers' operations.

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