Cullen Baker Country Fair scheduled for Nov. 6 in Cass County

By KARI KRAMER | East Texas Edition

Nov. 4, 2004 - Every fall people in far Northeast Texas have the chance to revisit history and enjoy some outdoor fun at the Cullen Baker Country Fair in Bloomburg.

Bloomburg, in Cass County, will host the November 6 fair, named after one of the areas most infamous outlaws, Cullen Montgomery Baker. Baker spent several years of his life roaming between Texas and Arkansas, hiding from the law and his enemies.

He fought for the Confederacy, briefly, during the Civil War. His name has been traced to muster roll lists for cavalries in Jefferson and Linden. After the Civil War, by many accounts, Baker continued killing, including two Federal Freedmen's Bureau employees.

Baker was known as a nuisance to the reconstruction efforts that followed the civil war. He killed many people, some estimates credit him with as many as 75 murders. A Mr. Rowden of Queen City is said to have been one of Baker's victims. There are several accounts of the events leading to Rowden's death, as is the same in many of the stories surrounding Cullen Baker.

Even the details of Baker's own death are disputed. Some accounts say Baker and a companion died from poisoning, then shot. Others say the two men were shot in a field during an ambush.

Regardless of how the story ended, the Cullen Baker Country Fair reminds people of the drama that clenched the area after the Civil War. The event includes several events, a variety of homemade goods, booths, and is made complete by the abundance of heritage that can be traced back to the days of Cullen Baker.

Bloomburg is located approximately 20 miles south of Texarkana.