“We embrace our history,” Mayor Norman Funderburk said. “We're fortunate that we have such a rich history.”
The history
Pleasant Smith Humble, a justice of the peace and ferry operator for whom the city is named, opened a post office in his home for the community in 1886, according to the city’s website. He was named U.S. postmaster on Sept. 14, 1886, Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Davidson said Sept. 11.
When Pleasant Smith Humble opened his post office, he listed the town as “Humble, Texas,” and the name stuck when the federal government approved the post office, Humble Museum Executive Director Robert Meaux said via email Sept. 26.
He took on the responsibility of handling local mail because the local community of Lord faced challenges and that post office closed down, according to an article by Meaux posted on the Humble Museum’s website.
A little known fact about Pleasant Smith Humble is that he was also a politician and was elected as a Harris County commissioner in 1876, Meaux said. During his lifetime, Pleasant Smith Humble also served as a store clerk, an attorney and in the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War.
In the early 1900s, oil was discovered in present-day Beaumont, sparking a search in the Humble area, Meaux said. The Moonshine Company is credited with finding oil first in the area in 1904, which raised property values and brought a temporary influx in population.
Humble did not become an official city until 1933, however, when the citizens voted for incorporation for the second time. In the 1910s, Humble voters opted to incorporate, but the local government created fell apart, Meaux said in an Oct. 2 email. John Brown Dubose, a medical doctor and former Humble ISD president and board member, was the city’s first mayor.
Looking ahead
Funderburk said the city didn’t have time to organize a celebration for the first Founder’s Day this year, but he said he will work with city committees to organize community events for next year.
“Going forward, we'll try to do something each year just to make sure everybody recognizes the significance of that day,” Funderburk said.
