Fodice, Texas, Houston County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

The odd spelling is likely a corruption of Fordyce (as in Fordyce, Arkansas where founding residents are said to have lived). The unlikely story is that it's a poor spelling of "four dice." The community built a Methodist church in the mid-1870s and it wasn't until 1886 that a school was in operation.

The town wasn't granted a post office until 1902, but it remained open until the mid-1960s. Early population figures are unavailable, but Fodice was thriving in 1914 when it supported two stores, a Masonic Lodge, cotton gin and gristmill. The 1930s reported a mere 25 residents and when WWII ended, there weren't enough students to keep the school open. The 1970s were kinder to Fodice and the population swelled to almost 50 residents.

In the early 1990s Fodice was given the designation of "dispersed rural community" due to its scattered houses, although it did retain a cemetery and church. The community has retained at least 49 residents for both the 1990 and 2000 census.

The closed Mount Pleasant CME Church
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April 2016

Historical Marker

Fodice Community School

The Fodice Community School began in the 1880s and was housed in the local Methodist church until about 1900 when a schoolhouse was built west of the church. Enrollment increased through the years, and in 1938-40 improvements were made to the one-story building through the Works Progress Administration. In 1945 Fodice school was consolidated with the Pennington School District. The population of the town dwindled and in 1960 students from Fodice were transferred to other area schools. The building continues to serve Fodice as a community center.

(1997)
In Memory of Sabra D. Berry

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