Francitas
Francitas, Jackson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The LaBauve family moved here from Louisiana in the 1800s; many are buried in nearby LaBauve Cemetery. After the railroad came in 1906, Nebraskans John G. Maher and William F. Schwind founded the Valley Fruit Farm and Garden Co. to promote the new town of Francitas (Spanish for “Little France”). A trainload of Nebraskans arrived the day before the townsite’s grand opening on Dec. 10, 1910. By then, Francitas boasted the Nebraska Inn, a lumber yard, canning factory, artesian well, houses and a newspaper. The first sales funded a schoolhouse. A church, post office and depot all opened soon after. Francitas grew to 450 people within a year and soon boasted several crops and settlers from many states. The population later decreased. 175 Years of Texas Independence * 1836-2011
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the railroad reached this corner of Jackson County in 1906, Nebraska promoters John G. Maher and William F. Schwind saw opportunity, founding a land company to sell the new town of Francitas—"Little France." A trainload of Nebraskans stepped off the day before the grand opening on December 10, 1910, into a town already boasting an inn, a canning factory, an artesian well, and a newspaper. Francitas swelled to 450 people within a year before its fortunes later faded.
Why it matters
Francitas is a classic railroad-era boom town, showing how promoters and settlers from far-off states conjured whole communities out of the Texas coastal prairie on the promise of cheap land.
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Related people
- · John G. Maher
- · William F. Schwind
Themes & tags
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