George Washington Green
Timpson, Shelby County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(December 22, 1858 - December 14, 1937) Georgia native George Washington Green grew up in Tennessee and in 1878 set out for Texas. He married Tempie Ann Fowler in Logansport, Louisiana, that year, and they settled in this part of Texas. Green worked first as a sharecropper, growing cotton and corn, before purchasing his first parcel of land in 1883. Two years later, as the Houston East & West Texas Railroad began to build its line through Shelby County, G. W. Green purchased more land on both sides of the rail line and soon became a prominent landowner in the area, operating a general store and cotton gin. The Bobo community, primarily a train stop, was established on Green's land and operated a post office from 1893 until 1898. The phrase "Tenaha, Timpson, Bobo and Blair," used by the railroad conductor to announce stops along the rail line, became very popular and was used as a cadence during World War I. In 1905, George Washington Green made a lasting contribution to the area when he developed Green's Lake as a recreational spot and water source for the railroad. From 1905 through the 1940s, families came to picnic, swim and fish, and churches held baptismal services in the lake. George and Tempie Green reared four children: Luther (1880-1956), R. H. "Cooter" (1889-1969), Inez (M. Drewery) (1895-1965) and Nubern (1900-1959). George died in 1937 and is buried in the Buena Vista Cemetery. His contributions to the development of the rail line and to the Bobo community remain a significant part of the history of Shelby County. (2001)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
George Washington Green came to Texas in 1878 with little more than the labor of his own hands, starting as a sharecropper before buying his first land in 1883. When the Houston East & West Texas Railroad pushed its line through Shelby County, Green shrewdly bought acreage along the tracks and grew into a prominent landowner running a general store and cotton gin. The Bobo community rose on his land, and in 1905 he created Green's Lake, a beloved spot for picnics, swimming, and church baptisms for decades.
Why it matters
His life traces how the railroad reshaped rural East Texas, turning whistle-stops into communities and enterprising farmers into pillars of local commerce and leisure.
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Related people
- · George Washington Green
- · Tempie Ann Fowler Green
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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