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Fulbright
Community Center
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, August 2010 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
First known by
the bucolic name of Possum Trot, the town's first structure
was a store built in the 1870s. Settlement had been decades earlier.
A cotton gin was next.
Possum Trot didn't sound dignified enough when a post office application
was filed, so the name was changed in 1882 to honor local judge David
Fulbright.
In the mid 1880s the town had a mere 25 people although there were
three churches.
The 1890 population rose to 200 and by 1914 it had 500 residents.
Progress shone on the forward-moving town as evidenced by its own
bank. The Great Depression hit the town like an earthquake, cutting
the population by half and closing the bank. From a population of
500 it fell to less than 250 in 1931, regained part of that by 1933
(300) and remained there for decades. In the early 1970s it had been
reduced to 200 and the estimate of the 2000 census reported 150. |
Photographer's
Note:
"Fulbright is a very nice little village very easy to get to and with
the old bank building there seems to have a good history. There are
now two churches, quite a number of residences and what looks like
an old cotton gin with a satellite dish." - Gerald
Massey |
Fulbright
bank building
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, August 2010 |
Fulbright
Church of Christ
Photo courtesy Gerald
Massey, August 2010 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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