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Historical
Marker:
RICE
Settlers began
arriving at this site in the late 1860s, mostly from the nearby settlement
of Porter's Bluff, which had been devastated by a flood in 1866. By
1872, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, which bypassed Porter's
Bluff, was routed through this site. One of the railroad's principal
investors, Houston businessman William Marsh Rice (1816-1900), donated
five hundred acres of land for a station and a townsite, which was
named in his honor.
The Rice Post Office was established in 1872. Cotton
was the main crop of the area, and accounted for much of the community's
business interests. One of the first businesses in Rice was a cotton
gin, and the Rice Railroad Station was a major cotton shipping point.
A train carrying Spanish-American
War recruits came through the station in 1898, and the Liberty
Bell passed through on a World
War I Liberty Bond campaign.
Early settlers of Rice included Isaac Sessions, who arrived in 1846;
Texas Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Calloway Bartlett, who was
Rice's first postmaster; and many Civil War veterans. The community's
first school opened in 1875. Citizens voted to incorporate the city
in a December 1912 election.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
A Visit to Rice:
Rice - The Home Town You Never Had |
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Haynie
Memorial Methodist Church
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2014 |
Haynie
Memorial Methodist Church historical marker
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2014 |
Haynie Memorial
Methodist Church cornerstone
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2014 |
The
once silvery church dome
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2014 |
Rice
Cemetery, 1.4 mi. NE of Rice
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, April 2014 |
Historical
Marker:
RICE CEMETERY
The
Rice community was settled during the late 1860s and was named for
William
Marsh Rice, who donated land for the town's railroad station
and later founded Rice University. In 1868, the citizens of the
community were granted land for a cemetery by the trustees of the
William M. Rice interests.
Originally
located about one and one-half miles south, the Rice Cemetery was
removed to this site during the 1870s. The three original cemetery
trustees, William D. Haynie, John A. Clopton, and Isaac B. Sessions,
are buried in the oldest, or northern, section of the graveyard.
That section also contains many burial sites that are marked only
with small rock fragments or similar material. Rice Cemetery contains
marked graves of numerous war veterans, including that of Joseph
Calloway Bartlett, a veteran of the Texas War for Independence.
In addition, four participants in the Civil War, two Spanish-American
War veterans, and numerous World
War I and II
veterans also are interred here. Tombstones reflect the high infant
mortality rate of the 1880s and the early 20th-century flu epidemic.
A good example of a pioneer graveyard, the Rice Cemetery is an important
part of Navarro
County's recorded history.
1985
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Rice - The
Home Town You Never Had
By John
Troesser
March 2000
In
the shadow of the Metroplex (if the sun rose in Oklahoma) lies the
little town of Rice.
The town's namesake is the same William
Marsh Rice that the university in Houston was named after. He
was later murdered in New York City (the Valet did it). Rice came
to Houston in 1837 nearly penniless and by 1860 was the second richest
man in Texas. One of his major interests was railroading and when
the Houston and Texas Central ran a line to Dallas,
he gave the land for the town's church and cemetery.
Being this close to Dallas
doesn't help Rice's economy at all. People en route to Houston
don't need to stop this soon, and travelers from Houston figure they
can wait. If they can't, then they'll more than likely stop at Corsicana
or Ennis.
We stopped because that's what we do. We saw the water tower and the
silver dome that suggested a pocket-courthouse. We weren't hungry,
but we were curious. |
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The
street where you eat
TE photo, 2000 |
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"Downtown"
Rice lost nearly half of its buildings in a devastating fire
in 1901. What remains is a picturesque row of brick buildings with
a few scattered around the immediate area. From the raised brick
sidewalk on the north side, you can look over a lush Spring landscape
where the other half of the main street once was.
Midway in the block is a small and charming business open only since
December 1999. The darkened storefronts on either side might make
it resemble a bar, but it's actually an ice-cream emporium/grill.
This is The Rice City Grill. The sign mounted in the back of a truck
will make sure you don't miss it.
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The front door
was propped open with a twelve-pound pipe wrench and the door's
hardware had the unnecessary elegance of the early 1900s. The proprietress
was a gamin-like young woman named Raina Clawson. Husband Rodney
was busy in the back. At the time of our visit we thought he might've
been "the hired man." People often mistake busy husbands
for hired help. Even wives. Maybe he was busy looking for his wrench.
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"The
Regulars"
TE photo, 2000 |
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As we entered,
a brother-sister team was spooning vanilla ice cream into their
mouths as fast as they could without getting "an ice-cream
headache." As young as they were, they knew that if it's a
beautiful Spring day, then Summer will be here tomorrow. We had
assumed they were Clawson children, and they're certainly polite
enough that anyone would want to claim them, but a later phone call
to Rodney identified them as "regular customers."
If you're lamenting
the passing of places like this, then stop lamenting and pay them
a visit. You can show your kids what small towns were like while
you remember what it was like with brick sidewalks, screen doors,
and ice cream that needed to be eaten before summer.
© John
Troesser
Book Hotel Here › Corsicana
Hotels
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Rice, Texas
Forum
Subject:
Another Lost Limb in Rice, Texas
I found [the story] quite interesting about the man who got his
arm cut off in the cotton gin at Rice, Texas. My grandmother, Rosa
Mae Fisher, also had her left arm cut off above her elbow at the
same cotton gin. She was 5 years old at the time and since she was
born in 1907, that would be right about 1912. She and her parents
and siblings lived in Palmer at the time. - Lillian Williams (No
town name provided), November 22, 2006
Subject:
Information about Rice Texas
I ran across your information on Rice TX and I read the story from
Robert Erisman IV about a man who got his arm cut off in the cotton
gin. Yes that did happen, it was my grandfather, his name was Jack
Leach, he ran the cotton gin for brothers J.B & James Fortson for
over 40 years. He lived in the house on the same property. When
I was a child we would play in the cotton seed barn until we would
get in trouble, then back again as soon as we could. It was so much
fun growing up there. You could ride your bikes or horses anytime
or anywhere and didn’t have to worry about anything.
The stories about Bonnie & Clyde I am not sure about robbing the
bank but I do know they stayed at the hotel that used to be downtown,
there was pictures at one time in the Pioneer Village in Corsicana
of them there.
My mother is 72 and lived in Rice her entire life and I still have
family there. I was in the last class to graduate from the old school
8th grade before they tore it down back in the 70’s. It had a fire
slide that would go up to the 3rd floor we used to climb out on
the ledge walk around it & slide down it was a blast, yes we would
get in trouble from teachers & parents but it was worth it. Thanks.
- Sharon K. Vaclavik, August 14, 2006
I am a resident
of Rice, Tx. I read your article about your visit to Rice,Tx. in
2000. I really enjoyed reading it. I am sad to inform that the Rice
City Grill is no longer in business, but I was wanting to write
and let you know about my mothers business that she has recently
opened here. Rice finally has a flower and gift shop and she really
is doing well. My mothers name is Irene Lopez and it has always
been her dream to have a flower shop in Rice, as this is where I
grew up. The shops name is LeFleur Floral & Gifts. This is a nice
addition to such a small town.
The building where she is located was once the Rice Bank many, many
years ago. It is also rumored that the Bank was once robbed by Bonnie
and Clyde, (would like to know the truth to that one).
Rice also now has a newsletter, which is also located in the historic
Bank building. Just thought i would write with an update on our
wonderful little town. :) Monica Slade, July 23, 2004
My name is
Robert Erisman IV and I live in Chatfield
next to Rice and I have a little information about Rice History.
A woman who goes to my church, who is very old, told me [about]
that the old Cotton Gin that mean kids mess around in and destroy
things in. Well, [she said] that some man who she knew who was the
owner back in 1915 or something like that was working in there and
the machine stopped and so he tried to fix it and it started back
up and killed him or cut his arm off. I'll try and find out more
information about that accident.
Also in Chatfield
there is a very old house that the generals would sometimes stay
in during the Civil War and the pasture next to it is where a battle
was fought that had to do with the civil war. Some of the Civil
War took place there you could say. And next to my house there is
another house but not quite as old as the other one and there is
a reenactment of the Civil War every year... Thank you for your
time. - Robert Erisman IV
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