BLOOMBURG, Texas – It’s only one square mile with no stoplights in sight. Bloomburg, Texas, has a population of 405 people.
“We have three stores, and all of them have cafes in them – and they are very good. We have a volunteer fire department. And, we’ve also got a logging company at the edge of town,” said Mayor Melvin Timmons Monday from his office at Bloomburg City Hall.
“I think it’s a real friendly town. Everybody gets along.”
Peace was disrupted about 11 a.m. Sunday, however, when a Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy shot and killed a 33-year-old man while attempting to serve a felony warrant off County Road 4915. Per protocol, the deputy has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Texas Rangers.
As for Mayor Timmons, he assumed command as leader of City Hall two years ago when the former mayor had to resign due to bad health. Mayor Timmons was just re-elected and will serve another two-year term. And though he’s lived in town for 42 years, he said he still does not know everyone in town.
“Well, I was a Scout Master for 42 years, but the young people tend to move away. I worked for International Paper for 29 years so I was away from home a lot while working. I guess I know about half the town,” he said.
As for having no stoplights in town, that wasn’t always the case, the mayor laughed. “We used to have one in storage in the back,” he said. “It was a four-way stop. I really don’t know what happen to it though. I need to find that.”
Bloomburg is just like any other town. It has its share of troubles and its good times. The town plays host to the annual Cullen Baker Country Fair, held every year on the first Saturday in November. And, Bloomburg also has a need for a sheriff’s department.
“Bloomburg is a very friendly place, but you also have people who are drugged out just like you do anywhere else,” Mayor Timmons said. “But we are better off than some places.”
A sign sits on the side of the road as one enters town. It reads, “Bloomburg, Texas. Almost Heaven.”
