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FREDONIA,
TEXAS
Mason County, Texas
Hill Country
Highway 71 between Llano
and Brady
16 miles N of Mason on FM
386
5 miles SE of Voca
Population:
50 (1990)
Book
Your Hotel Here & Save
Brady
Hotels
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Fredonia Store
and Post Office
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, January 2006 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Fredonia, Texas
has nothing to do with the insurrection in Nacogdoches or the fictitious
country in the Marx Brother's movie. It does, however figure in the
history of two Texas counties - San
Saba and Mason. The first
settlers arrived in the area sometime around 1858. A school and church
were built as the community developed around Deer Creek.
The post office was originally called Deerton when it was in
San Saba County. A conflict with the name caused a change in 1880.
The post office was moved two miles across the county line sometime
after 1882 and of course, the community followed. |
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"My great grandfather owned the drug store in Fredonia Texas
till around 1900-1902" -
Co Wisdom, Brady, Texas |
| Fredonia had
been a stagecoach stop in the 1880s and soon had everything a small
town could want. There was a drugstore, a general store, a blacksmith
and even a newspaper. |
A closed gas
station
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, January 2006 |
A closed church
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, January 2006 |
The Fredonia
Post Office
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, January 2006 |
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Same scene in 2000
TE photo |
Fredonia
Texas Forum
My great grandfather
owned the drug store in Fredonia Texas till around 1900-1902. His
name was Tom Brown. He later sold the store and moved to Long Valley
on the north side of the San Saba River near Voca Tx where he bought
800 acres that we still own to this day. Here is a picture of the
store off of a post card that I have. - Co Wisdom, Brady, Texas,
January 27, 2005
Co Wisdom of
Brady, Texas
I came across quotations by “Co Wisdom” of Brady
in your website under the towns of Fredonia and Voca
along with a photograph of a drug store as it appeared in the late
19th century. Hopefully you can forward my e-mail to the person
submitting those quotations. According to an article in the book
“Indian Depredation in Texas” by J.W. Wilbarger, published in
1889 my great grandfather Captain John Roch (Roach) of Comanche
was attacked and wounded by Indians in 1866 on a trip from San Saba
to Comanche. According to the article he had gone to San Saba to
lay in supplies for the coming winter. What was in San Saba to cause
it to be a source of food and provisions in the 1860’s? What was
the San Saba mill? Do you have other photos of buildings in are
around San Saba dated in the 19th Century? Thanks. L. Marshall
Roch , September 25, 2005
Anyone
wishing to share history, stories or photos of Fredonia, Texas,
please contact
us.
© John Troesser
More Barclay
Gibson Photos
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