Bon Wier, Texas

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Bon Wier is a town in eastern Newton County, Texas and is located along U.S. Highway 190. As of 1990, the population was estimated at 475 residents.

[edit] Historical development

Established in 1905, the town was a stop on the Jasper and Eastern Railway which was primarily a line servicing the lumber industry. The town’s name was derived from the last name of two key men who were associated with the Kirby Lumber Company, owned by John Henry Kirby. B. F. Bonner was the sawmill manager, and R. W. Wier was the town surgeon.^[1] The town was established to take advantage of the timber of the region as part of the company expansion. A post office opened for the town in 1906. Logging camps would operate in the vicinity intermittently from 1918 until 1935. In 1948, the railway was acquired by the the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. Sawmills were the key businesses for the town as late as the 1990’s.