Grice, Texas, Upshur County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Once known as Hamil�s Chapel after the Civil War, Grice came into being in the late 1880s. John J. Grice opened a store here around 1890 and became the community postmaster. By the mid 1890s, Grice had the store as well as a gin and gristmill.

The population at that time was estimated to be 24 and the community built its first school around the turn of the century. Although it appeared to be leaning toward growth, Grice was bypassed by the approaching Marshall and East Texas Railroad. Most of the already thin populace abandoned the town and the post office closed in 1905.

Grice managed to retain its school, two churches, and a few stores,during the Great Depression even though the population declined to a mere 20 residents.

The Grice school merged with the Harmony school district in the mid-1960s and today Grice consists of its cemetery, a church, scattered residences and the population is still estimated to be 20.

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