Frankston Texas. (original) (raw)
History in a Pecan Shell
Founded around 1902 with the arrival of the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, the first citizens relocated from the village of Kickapoo, Texas, two miles southeast of present Frankston. The first post office was named Ayers (as was the town) but the name was changed when a Miss Frankie Miller donated land for a city park.
Lumber and cotton were the town's major economic engines. As the lumber played out, peach orchards and tomato fields took up the slack.
The railroad depot, just south of the town square was the nerve center of old Frankston. During its heyday, Franston had three hotels, several cafes, a basket factory (for the tomatoes), a Masonic hall, and even a theater. The town's population ranged between just over 800 to 1,500 from the mid 20s through the 80s.
In the 1980s Frankston was still thriving with two car dealerships, stores, gas stations, a bank, savings and loan association, newspaper, and funeral home.
Tourism has become increasingly important to Frankston in recent years and the former depot has become a library.
Frankston Texas Depot
Photo courtesy Michael G. Ellis, 1998
More Texas Depots
Frankston Depot Library
"This is a 1998 photographic of the historic Texas and New Orleans (T&NO) depot in downtown Frankston, Texas. This structure is from 1906, when the railroad first came through, and is situation on the south side of the downtown square. The railroad first called the depot Frankport, then Ayres, after the town's post office. Passenger rail service ended in 1964. After the railroad shut down, the station sat alone and began to decay, but in 1976, as apart of the United States Centennial Celebration, the train depot was restored. Today, it serves as the Frankston Depot Library. It received a historical marker in 1977. It is the only T&NO station left standing in the Henderson/Anderson County area." - Gage Guinn, September 15, 2012
Old store in Frankston (Ellis Merchantile)
Photo courtesy Lori Martin, 2001
Frankston Chronicles
- The Possum Dinner by Bob Bowman
While most East Texans were planning Thanksgiving dinners in 1929, four old friends in Frankston were sitting down for a meal of possum and sweet potatoes... more - A Newspaper�s Centennial by Bob Bowman
One of my favorite weekly newspapers, the Frankston Citizen, celebrated its 100th anniversary recently. What I enjoyed most were reproductions of front pages from the Citizens� issues during the past century. In the early days, newspapers carried down-to-earth news that you seldom read in newspapers today. Some examples...
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