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An old, rusted metal bridge over a creek, surrounded by trees with budding leaves on a sunny day.
A watercolor painting of a bridge overlooking a river, surrounded by green trees and a blue sky, with a small structure at the end of the bridge.

The Joppa Community is located at the junction of County Road 210 and the North Fork of the San Gabriel River about seven miles northeast of Bertram in Burnet County. When first settled the area was called Pool Branch. It was named this because of a nearby pool formed by a waterfall. In the 1880s it was a small bustling settlement with a cotton gin and mill (at the pool), a store, blacksmith shop and a hat shop.

     J. S. and Jane Danford of Delaware County, Iowa, in 1881, gave two acres of land on the north bank of the North Gabriel for a school and a church under conditions the schoolhouse was completed by March 1, 1882. The deadline was met by the residents. During the 1889-1890 school year the schoolhouse burned, but it was rebuilt. The school building was used for classes and church services. Worship was held in the schoolhouse until 1913, when a church was built.

By 1891 a post office was established and the community’s name changed to the biblical name “Joppa”. The post office was closed in 1904 with the coming of rural mail delivery. On May 19, 1904, a telephone line was installed in Joppa. An iron bridge was built across the San Gabriel River in 1907. The area received electricity in 1939 from PEC. The Joppa school consolidated with Bertram in 1942. The church and school building which serves as a community center are all that remain.

For more information on the history of Joppa visit https://joppacommunity.com/

A cooperative community operative and movement to preserve the integrity of the rural pace. Our efforts are to serve the memory of all those who served the land before us and will continue to serve after us.

Historical sign about the Joppa Iron Truss Bridge in Texas, explaining its history, construction details, and significance.
Historical marker about Joppa Community in Texas, mentioning early settlers William Alexander Faires and Martin Luther, a watermill, a cotton gin, Mrs. Hattie Snow Smith's hat shop, land donations by J.S. and Jane Danford, the community's name change to Joppa in 1891, a post office established in 1891, and the church's history until 1942.

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Old rusted metal pedestrian bridge over a creek surrounded by trees.

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