| |
The
Florence Police Station
Photo courtesy Hannalore Lyons, September, 2004 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Briefly called Brooksville, the community dates
from the early 1850s. The name change came about with the opening of the post
office in 1857. The first postmaster was from Florence, Alabama although Florence
Brooks, the daughter of the town's first merchant is also considered to be the
source of the name.
After the Civil War, wheat, cotton and cattle were
the town's economic mainstays, and by the 1890s the town was prospering with the
stores, mills, hotels, and lodges typical of a central Texas town on the rise.
Untypical businesses included a stone quarry and a cheese factory.
A
short line railroad (the Bartlett and Western Railway) was in operation from 1912
until 1935.
Its population reached 1,000 people - just before the Great
Depression - when it fell below 500. It has, in the last few years, surpassed
the previous record. | |
|
