The History of Frankston, Texas
Frankston sits in far northeastern Anderson County, where U.S. Highway 175 meets State Highway 155, within about twenty-five miles of Tyler, Jacksonville, Palestine, and Athens and just south of Lake Palestine. Its history is a classic East Texas story — an old settlement that picked up and moved when the railroad came through, a town named for the young woman who gave land for its park, and an economy built first on timber and cotton, then on peaches, tomatoes, and the lake.
Here's how Frankston came to be.
From Kickapoo to the Railroad
Before there was a Frankston, there was Kickapoo, a community about two miles to the southeast on the site of an old Native American battleground — the same vicinity where, in October 1838, Gen. Thomas J. Rusk learned that hostile bands had gathered as he marched toward Fort Houston. When the Texas and New Orleans Railroad was built through the area at the turn of the century, the future of the settlement lay along the new line.
Frankston was established in January 1902, and most of its first residents simply moved over from Kickapoo to be near the tracks. The railroad gave the new town a reason to exist and a way to ship its goods to market — the pattern that built so many East Texas towns in the early 1900s.
How the Town Got Its Name
The town and its post office were originally called Ayers. The name that stuck, though, honors Miss Frankie Miller, a young woman who donated land — tied to the original Miller family homestead — for the downtown city park when the townsite was laid out. In her honor the community became Frankston. (An alternate account credits a landowner named Frank Miller, but the gift-of-land story for Frankie Miller is the more widely accepted one.)
The railroad depot that served the town became part of its identity, too. After the line stopped running, the old Southern Pacific depot was converted into Frankston's public library — a fitting second life for the building that gave the town its start.
Timber, Cotton, and the Lake
Lumber was Frankston's first industry, and some lumber businesses were still operating into the 1980s. By about 1925 cotton was the basis of the local economy, and as the cotton years faded, peaches and tomatoes were raised extensively in the surrounding country well into the early 1950s. The town grew into a full-service community, with a bank, a medical clinic, a newspaper, a funeral home, and churches.
Later the economy leaned toward ranching and, increasingly, tourism — a shift driven by the completion of Lake Palestine on the Neches River in 1962 just to the north. Today Frankston is a small, steady town of roughly 1,100 to 1,200 people, anchored by its schools and its place at the gateway to the lake.
Timeline
1838
Gen. Thomas J. Rusk marches through the area near Kickapoo, an old Native American battleground site, on his way to Fort Houston.
1900–1902
The Texas and New Orleans Railroad is built through the area, and Frankston is established in January 1902.
1902
Most early residents relocate from nearby Kickapoo; the town, first called Ayers, is renamed for Frankie Miller, who donated land for the city park.
1925
Cotton becomes the basis of the local economy, with lumber still important.
1950s
Peaches and tomatoes are raised extensively in the surrounding country into the early 1950s.
1962
Lake Palestine is completed on the Neches River just north of town, shifting the economy toward ranching and tourism.
Notable People
Frankie Miller
The young woman for whom Frankston is named; she donated land tied to the original Miller homestead for the downtown city park when the townsite was laid out.
Frank Beard
Drummer for the rock band ZZ Top, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was born in Frankston before his family moved to the Dallas area.
Herbert H. Reynolds
Educator who served as the 11th president of Baylor University, associated with Frankston.
FAQ: History of Frankston
Frankston, first called Ayers, was renamed for Miss Frankie Miller, a young woman who donated land — connected to the original Miller family homestead — for the downtown city park when the townsite was laid out around 1902. The town became Frankston in her honor.
Frankston was established in January 1902, when the Texas and New Orleans Railroad was built through the area. Most of its first residents moved over from the older community of Kickapoo, about two miles to the southeast, to be near the new rail line.
Kickapoo was an older settlement about two miles southeast of Frankston, on the site of an old Native American battleground. When the railroad came through around 1900–1902, most of Kickapoo's residents moved to the new town of Frankston along the tracks.
Lumber was Frankston's first industry, lasting into the 1980s. Cotton was the basis of the economy by about 1925, and peaches and tomatoes were raised extensively into the early 1950s. The economy later shifted toward ranching and tourism, helped by nearby Lake Palestine.
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