Thalia Texas. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Thalia was first known as Paradise. But when it came time to apply for a post office they learned that Wise County had beat them to the name. They re-submitted the name Thalia, which was accepted and the post office opened in 1890 when the town was still in Hardeman County.

That same year a school was founded at the community. Thalia remained in

Hardeman County until 1891 when Foard County was organized. The townsite was platted in 1910 and when oil was discovered Thalia�s future looked bright. But despite the oil, the population was only (estimated at) 50 in the mid-1920s.

| The Great Depression hit the town hard. The high school, finished in 1930, closed in 1943. By 1950, the population was still less than 200 and after the post office closed, the population declined to a mere 104. The town did manage a brief place in the sun in 1966 when it appeared in the movie Hud � an adaptation of Larry McMurtry's novel Horseman, Pass By. A Visit to Thalia | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |

Cotton Wagons and Church
See Cotton
TE photo, September, 2009

1920s Foard County map showing Thalia
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

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