Frankell, Texas, Stephens County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Like Tomball, Edcouch and other Texas towns, Frankell was named after the first and last names of its namesake Frank Kell. Mr. Kell was the president of the Wichata Falls and Southern Railroad when the region was booming with oil discoveries.

Besides being a stop on the railroad, the town of Frankell was almost entirely populated by oil workers. These roughnecks and their families numbered between two and three hundred people.

The town required a church and two schools which were reported functioning in the mid 1930s. The town's proximity to Breckenridge hindered its growth and a proper business district never developed. After the boom, the population fell to 50 although the town had acquired a post office and store somewhere along the way.

Maps of Stephens County published in the 1980s have the town shown but it is essentially a ghost town with no surviving structures.

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