| |
 |
History
in a Pecan ShellLoraine
has three stories in connection to its name. One states that it was named in honor
of the wife of a railroad officer, another claims the French provence of Lorraine
and a third says it was to honor Loraine Crandall, the wife (or daughter) of local
landowner Parson Crandal.
Established on the Texas and Pacific Railway
in the 1880s, Loraine was first a cotton and
cattle shipping point and development was slow. The town was granted a post office
in 1890, and a school was constructed three years later. In 1905, the aforementioned
Parson Crandall bought land from the railroad and had the town platted. With its
streets laid out, the town grew rapidly. It's first paper was published in 1906
and by 1914 the population was estimated as 800 citizens with more than forty
businesses.
The 1920s saw the installation of its own public water system,
as well as high school and grade school facilities and by the 1930s the population
was thought to be between 700-750 people.
Loraine's hospital opened in
1938, and throughout the 1940s the Loraine Cooperative Association handled the
dairy interests for several nearby counties. The population increased to over
1,000 in the 1950s but industry and businesses declined. By 1986 only six businesses
were still solvent. The population had been in a decline but has rebounded in
recent years to the present 656. A
Visti to Loraine |
 |
Loraine
Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson , February 2007 |
|
|
