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THORP SPRING,
TEXASHood County,
North Central Texas
FM 4
5 miles NW of Granbury
Population: 222 Est. (2000) 184 (1990)
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Church
of Christ in Thorp Spring
Photo courtesy Jim & Lou Kinsey, July 2005 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
The town's namesake is said to be Pleasant Thorp who settled in the
region prior to the Civil War. Hostile Indians discouraged settlement
until the early 1870s. In 1871 Sam Milliken purchased part of the
old Thorp homestead and built a cotton gin. Since medicinal springs
were in fashion, Milliken also built a resort hotel and touted the
nearby springs. |
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In
1873 Mr. Clark and his two sons Addison and Randolph opened Add-Ran
College (later to become Add-Ran Christian University which later
evolved into Texas Christian University). |
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The
original Add-Ran College, now TCU, in Thorp Spring
Photo courtesy Jim & Lou Kinsey, July 2005 |
The town got
a post office in 1893 and the population soon reached 400 - reaching
a peak in 1904 just short of 500.
Its bright future was dimmed in the early 1890s when it was bypassed
by not one, but two railroads. Still, the town maintained a 400-plus
population through the 1960s. The last three businesses closed and
in 1990 it reported 184 residents - the same figure they've been using
ever since. |
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Thorp Spring,
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© John Troesser |
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