Fisher Community
submitted by: Julia Cauble SmithA farming community, Fisher has been known also as Old Fisher and as Old North Roby. It is located four and one-half miles north of Roby, Texas, on State Highway 70 at the center of Fisher County. The community developed as an idea of E. D. Strang, a native of Wisconsin, in August 1885. At that time the county was unorganized, but it was shown on maps and settlers had begun to move into the area. However, no town existed near the center of the future county. The only post office in the area to become Fisher County was located on Newman Ranch to the southeast and the only railroad station operated at Eskota on the Nolan County line. Strang saw an economic opportunity in buying land at the center of the future county, creating a town that would become the seat of government, and selling lots to newcomers. He borrowed money to buy 469 acres, platted part of the land into about 500 lots in a town he called Fisher, and began to sell the lots. A post office opened on 06 November 1885 with Strang as postmaster. Several stores, including one owned by J. V. Hulse, and a blacksmith shop began operations. J. C. Patterson created a hotel from a large tent. A Methodist church and a public school were established. Strang began a business called Fisher Printing Company to publish advertisements that promoted his town as the future county seat. Unfortunately for Strang, D. C. and M. L. Roby, ranching brothers who owned about 2,000 acres of land at the center of the county, began to garner strong support for their own-yet to be built-town as county seat. The contest that followed placed the ranchers and cowboys who supported the Roby choice against the farmers who aligned with Strang's town of Fisher. On 20 April 1886, when the county seat election was held, the Roby brothers, who were accused of giving away town lots for votes, managed to win. The town of Roby received 67 votes and Fisher was given only 52. Although Strang's town had lost, he was able to hang on for a few years more, establishing Fisher Gin Company in 1889. However, in 1890 when his creditors foreclosed, Strang left the county. By 1889 Fisher School was part of County District No. 2 and in the 1900-1901 term the teacher was J. T. McGee and trustees were G. T. Hilbun, W. W. Jeffers, and J. A. Young. During the sessions between 1901 and 1904 the teachers were Dura Gwyn, Jennie Hair, and Lela Smith. Trustees for that period were U. Collins, J. H. Veazey, A. H. West, E. E. Eiland, and W. W. Jeffers. In 1907 the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad [called the Katy] laid its tracks to Fisher and the names of the town, the school, and the post office were changed soon to North Roby. In the period from 1908 to 1912, teachers at North Roby were Miss Spears, Mr. Blanton, Onel Yantiz, Mrs. Onel Yantiz, Leonard Morgan, and Hutchins Carter. A railroad spur of four and one-half miles length, called Roby & Northern, began operation on 08 December 1915, connecting Roby to North Roby and the Katy railroad. In 1917 the North Roby post office closed and in 1925 North Roby School consolidated with Roby. North Roby Cemetery is located two miles east of North Roby community.
Sources:
James A. Schellenberg, Conflict Between Communities: American County Seat Wars (New York: Paragon House Publishers, 1987), 39-40;
R. C. Crane, "Early Days in Fisher County," in West Texas Historical Association Year Book 6 (June 1930), 124-169;
Charles P. Zlatkovich, Texas Railroads: A Record of Construction and Abandonment (Austin: UT and TSHA, 1981), 42, 44, 89;
B. W. Aston, "Roby Gets a Railroad," in West Texas Historical Association Year Book 52 (1976), 71-77;
Charles Deaton, Texas Postal History Handbook (Houston: by author, 1980), 94, 96, 125;
Henry Gannett, A Gazetteer of Texas, USGS Bulletin 224 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1904), 68;
Fisher County Historical Commission, The First 107 Years of Fisher County History (Rotan, Texas: Shelton Press, 1983), 126-127, 274, 275;
Texas Railroad Map, published by Rand McNally & Company, 1912, reprinted in Rotan Advance-Roby Star, 03 December 1992.