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History in
a Pecan Shell
The odd spelling
is likely a corruption of Fordyce (as in Fordyce, Arkansas where
founding residents are said to have lived). The unlikely story is
that it's a poor spelling of "four dice." The community built a
Methodist church in the mid-1870s and it wasn't until 1886 that
a school was in operation.
The town wasn't granted a post office until 1902, but it remained
open until the mid-1960s. Early population figures are unavailable,
but Fodice was thriving in 1914 when it supported two stores, a
Masonic Lodge, cotton gin and gristmill. The 1930s reported a mere
25 residents and when WWII
ended, there weren't enough students to keep the school open. The
1970s were kinder to Fodice and the population swelled to almost
50 residents.
In the early
1990s Fodice was given the designation of "dispersed rural community"
due to its scattered houses, although it did retain a cemetery and
church. The community has retained at least 49 residents for both
the 1990 and 2000 census.
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The closed Mount
Pleasant CME Church
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2016 |
Historical Marker
Fodice
Community School
The Fodice Community
School began in the 1880s and was housed in the local Methodist church
until about 1900 when a schoolhouse was built west of the church.
Enrollment increased through the years, and in 1938-40 improvements
were made to the one-story building through the Works Progress Administration.
In 1945 Fodice school was consolidated with the Pennington School
District. The population of the town dwindled and in 1960 students
from Fodice were transferred to other area schools. The building continues
to serve Fodice as a community center.
(1997)
In Memory of Sabra D. Berry |
Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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