Timpson is a small town located in Shelby County in Deep East Texas on U. S. Highway 59. It is 31 miles north of Nacogdoches, the oldest town in Texas, which is also the home of Stephen F. Austin State University. In 1884, a railroad was to be built from Shreveport, Louisiana to Houston, Texas. The railroad company made its survey along the northern edge of Shelby County which accounts for the three towns: Joaquin, Tenaha, and Timpson. The town takes its name from a son-in-law of one of the heavy railroad stockholders, a Mr. Timpson, who lived in New York. Like all railroad towns, Timpson was laid out with the railroad, not north and south like most towns are. Therefore, the streets run at an angle of 43 degrees "off." Timpson is probably most known for its mention in the old Tex Ritter hit, "Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo, and Blair." According to Timpson resident Mr. George Green in the Timpson Area History Book, dice players took up the chant, and World War I soldiers spread it far and wide. Today the small town of Timpson is now just a scenic spot on Highway 59. Its major business is the 1A Timpson High School, the home of the fighting Timpson Bears.