(May 1, 1895) Named for John Henry Kirby, attorney, railroad builder, and timber, lumber, and oil king. With R. P. Allen, Kirby founded the town when their railroad-- Gulf, Beaumont, & Kansas City-- reached this point. Since 1904 city has also been terminus of the Jasper & Eastern Railroad. A major business, Kirby Lumber Co. Sawmill (acquired in 1903), burned in 1917. City has been an area of timber conservation work since 1926; State Forest No. 1 is located 3 miles east. Today city is a trade center for Jasper and Newton counties and has electric power concerns.