The town of Kirbyville was first established in 1895 when the Gulf, Beaumont and Kansas City Railroad reached the site. It was first named Kirby for John Henry Kirby, a lumber businessman who intended to use the site for building a facility to market his lumber. The town is eighteen miles south of county seat Jasper in east central Jasper County. Today it is known for its Calaboose Museum and the Exotic Cat Refuge & Wildlife Orphanage.