Omen

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Omen, also known at various times as Round Hill, Canton, Clopton, Troup, and Old Canton, is a rural community on State Highway 345 in southeastern Smith County about two miles west of Arp and just south of Omen Road Bay. The area was first settled when Arnold O'Brien and his family arrived in 1848. The following year the county commissioners' court decided to build the Larissa-Shreveport Road through the northern part of O'Brien's land, and the road made the settlement accessible to other pioneers. In December 1849 O'Brien established in his home a post office that he named Round Hill. Thomas M. Bell also opened an inn as a stage stop on the Tyler-Henderson Road. In 1850 Thomas H. Weatherby, Mitus White, and James W. Powell bought a thirty-acre tract from Rebecca Mar Hill. Powell later sold his share to Alexander Douglas. The partners divided their property into lots and appointed themselves commissioners for the new town. In 1851 Thomas N. Gregory replaced O'Brien as postmaster and changed the name of the settlement to Canton. David H. Lindsey and Isaac Wayman Engledow opened the first store in Canton in 1852. That year citizens changed the name of the town to Clopton because the seat of Van Zandt County was also called Canton. A two-story shop, built by Lively and Walker, became the meeting place for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Masons. Other stores were established, and David Lindsey sold 2½ acres to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

The post office was discontinued briefly in 1854, then reopened under the name of Troup by Daniel P. Fowler. Residents, however, continued to call the town Canton, even in legal documents. In 1860 a deed called it "Canton-alias Troup," and Masonic Lodge No. 98 was officially recognized as Canton Lodge. By then the town had a blacksmith, a doctor, a cabinet and wagon maker, a dentist, a carpenter, and two teachers. A sawmill and a tannery were located nearby. Troup continued to prosper during the Civil War, but the advent of the railroad system in Smith County led to its decline. Early in the 1870s the International-Great Northern built a line northward through the eastern part of the county to Longview from a point approximately four miles south of Canton. Within a few years, traffic on the Tyler-Henderson road decreased significantly, and Bell's Inn was closed. Many local businesses moved south to Zavalla, a new railroad town. In 1877 the post office was moved there, although it kept the name Troup.

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Vista K. McCroskey | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

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

Omen is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Omen is classified as a Town

Associated Names

  • (Canton)
  • (Clopton)
  • (Roundhill)
  • (Troup 1)

Location

Latitude: 32.21737780
Longitude: -95.10411110

Has Post Office

No

Is Incorporated

No

Population Count, 2009

150