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FRANCITAS,
TEXASJackson
County, Texas Gulf Coast
FM 616
28 Miles S of El
Campo
30 Miles E of Victoria
Population 143 (2000)Area
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| | | Joines
Brothers General Merchandise
Photo courtesy Albina Joines and Carol Gibbs | |
History in a Pecan
Shell
The community was named by railroad employees, according to the
Handbook of Texas, after a number of French families established a community here
in the 1890s. Town lots went on sale in 1909 and the town seemed to have a bright
future. Lafayette Ward (the namesake of nearby La
Ward, Texas) bought additional acreage the following year and in 1911 a post
office was granted under the name Francitas. It became a stop on the St. Louis,
Brownsville and Mexico Railway in 1914 and had all the essential businesses, including
a weekly newspaper, and a telephone connection.
Although early population
figures aren't available, the town's high-water mark seems to have been 1940 when
300 people called Francitas home. Over the years the population has risen and
fallen, reaching a low of 30 in the late 1980s. It has since rebounded to 143
for the 2000 Census. |
Francitas
Texas Depot
Photo courtesy W.R. Joines and Carol Gibbs | |
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