in a Pecan Shell
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.
Photo courtesy Michael G. Ellis, 1998
More Texas Depots
"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
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
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...
in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas,
asks that anyone wishing to share their local history and vintage/historic
photos, please contact