The First People, Colonization, & How Texas Got Its Name
A reconstructed Caddo home at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site. Picture courtesy of Instagram @xinesi, used with permission.
Native Americans known as the Caddo dominated the Northern areas of what is now Jasper County prior to the arrival of Europeans. According to texasproud.com:
[The Caddos] were successful agriculturists who lived in permanent abodes. It was a group within this tribe that the early Spanish authorities called the Tejas, which is said to be the tribes’ word for friend. From this origin, the name evolved to become the name for the Mexican province, then the republic, and now the state.
Cherokee, Alabama, and Coushatta tribes arrived in the 19th century, being displaced from their native lands in other parts of America. By that time, Spanish explorers and European settlers had also arrived.
20th Century Development
The dam was originally constructed in the mid-20th century for flood control, water conservation, and hydroelectric power generation. The project, which took nearly 10 years and an estimated $66M to complete, was called the “McGee Bend Dam and Reservoir,” due to its location upstream from the McGee Bend in the Angelina River. The lake was renamed in September of 1963 after the recently deceased Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn, who was known for his dedication to soil and water conservation.
In 1965 East Texas Pulp and Paper conveyed approximately 1,000 acres of land to Rayburn Country Incorporated (formerly Rayburn Land Company), and the concept of a lakeside, country club community was born. Over time, the various sections of Rayburn Country were platted and developed in fits and starts. In 1978 Rayburn Country Development Corp. transferred Sections 7-44 to DMI Investments Corporation; these sections, plus MH-1 and E-2 through E-5 are the sections that make up RCA today.
In July 1984 the Board of Directors of Rayburn Country Association took control of the management from the developer (DMI Investment Corp, which eventually went bankrupt) thus effecting transfer of association control to the members. A lawsuit settled in 1987, resulted in Rayburn Country Association owning the golf course, clubhouse roadways and other common facilities.
Recent Challenges and Improvements
On January 21, 2010, Rayburn Country Association (RCA) transferred ownership of the golf course, resort, greenbelts and all lots and tracts in Rayburn Country that it owned at that time (except the roads) to Rayburn Country Redevelopment LLC (RCR). The original clubhouse was torn down and reconstructed. RCR managed the association as well as the resort amenities. The RCA board was under the control RCR until a few years ago when owners who were unhappy with RCR’s management gained control of the board and began to make changes.
Unfortunately, many RCA sections were never fully developed, and maintenance of RCA roads had suffered for decades. While some roads were successfully adopted by Jasper County over the years, there are over 25 miles of roads under RCA control, many of which were left impassible or non-existent when the current board gained control. In January 2020, RCR closed the golf course and restaurant, which had also become neglected under their management. But Rayburn Country’s story was not over!
RCR was sold to a new owner, and RCA entered a contract with RCR in June 2020 that separated the management of the association and roads from the management of the resort amenities. RCR has purchased all new golf carts, improved the golf course, and will soon open a coffee shop, additional restaurant, and event space. Click here for the Rayburn Country Resort website.
The current RCA board educated itself on the legal framework for property owners associations, consulted board certified association attorneys, and hired professional management to collect assessments. LSB Property Management, a division of Lone Star Bookkeepers, began managing the community in the spring of 2021. At the September 2021 annual meeting, the membership re-elected both incumbents who were up for re-election to the board and approved revised Bylaws. This revision brought this important document into compliance with state law and included other changes recommended by RCA’s attorney and a committee of homeowners.
The board remains focused on moving toward best practices for community associations including proper and reasonable enforcement of the deed restrictions, strong assessment collections, and transparency of board decisions.