Kyla Bayang wasn’t always a Tomball resident. Originally from Tatum, New Mexico, she moved to Tomball in the ‘90s and fell in love with the small-town charm and the city’s deep history.

At the time, she worked in computer science, but her real passion was genealogy and history. So, naturally, one of the first things she did after settling in was visit the Harris County archives to research the history of her new home.

“We have so much rich heritage,” said Kyla. “We've got the history. So much of it is being thrown away these days because people just don't understand, or they don't care about it, or they don't know anything about the history.”

Not long after moving to Tomball, Kyla put her career on hold to care for her newborn son and, later, her daughter full-time. Yet even as she focused on family, history remained close to her heart. Once her children were grown, she began working at the Tomball Community Library and eventually became its full-time genealogy librarian.

Kyla never expected, nearly 20 years after moving to Tomball, she would be asked to help write a book about its history.

From librarian to author

In 2021, Arcadia Publishing approached the library about writing a book on Tomball’s history. Kyla jumped at the chance to spearhead the project. Her vast knowledge of the town’s past made part of the research easier. The real challenge was collecting hundreds of historic images of the town dating back centuries.

“One of the really difficult things with this project was that we had to have original photographs,” said Kyla. “We had to find the originals, and we had to have full permission from the owners in order to use those photos in the project.”

The book quickly became a community effort. As the research process started, Kyla met with every organization she could — the city, Chamber of Commerce, hospital district, and school district. With their help, she formed a committee of 18 dedicated Tomball residents. The committee met every week to dig into the archives, scan thousands of photos, and connect with other residents about the city’s history.

Kyla’s research took her far beyond Tomball’s city limits. Through her persistence and expertise, Kyla gained access to archives from across Texas and even discovered records at an Arkansas college, which no one in Texas had. Among her finds was a fascinating flyer from two brothers who once bought and sold the townsite of Tomball, overselling the area’s amenities with creative and exaggerated marketing.

“If you look in the book, we have the original flyer that they sent out,” said Kyla. “It’s hysterical the propaganda that this thing was trying to sell.”

While the main goal of the project was to document Tomball’s history, there was an unexpected bonus in the research.

“It was really amazing because a lot of the people don't live here anymore,” said Kyla. “Some people have retired, and they've moved away or whatever. So, there was a lot of reconnecting with friends.”

"Images of America – Tomball”

After four years of research and writing, "Images of America – Tomball” was published on January 7, 2025.The book quickly skyrocketed to the top of the travel histories section of Amazon, and Kyla says they’ve sold thousands of copies.

When the book published, the library held a book launch to celebrate. The book even sold out at the party because so many visitors wanted multiple copies for their friends and neighbors.

"People wanted everybody to sign the book,” said Kyla. “So, they went around to all of the tables, and it turned out like a big signing event, and I didn't even plan it that way.”

Even with the book’s success, Kyla isn’t slowing down. She already has plans to start on her next big project: collecting and digitizing Tomball’s decades of newspapers.

“We have had almost a continuous newspaper from the beginning,” said Kyla. “It's gone through 15 different names, editors and all kinds of things. But I feel like it's out there somewhere. I just have to find them.”

Because of Kyla’s dedication, Tomball’s story will be preserved, passed down, and celebrated for generations to come.

Our new series, Explore P4, highlights communities throughout the Precinct by spotlighting individuals and organizations making a difference in their communities.