Historic F-wood - January 16th, 2016


Start the F-wood History Tour with a photo of FM518's brand new entry sign

Start the tour at Stevenson Park on a beautiful day with flags a flowing

Find the Historical marker in the park corner with gazebo in the background

The Quakers grew figs as a cash crop and supplied the 7 county area

Visit the reconstructed Frank Brown House down the block from where the original once stood

The museum is only open two hours a week and today is the day

A 1950's barber shop was moved here in the last couple years

Jerry and Mavis come along for the tour     Get inside, it's cool!

Museum barn is loaded with fig production tools, just need it opened

Air conditioning units haven't changed in over 120 years!

His and Hers two pot outhouse . . . romantic or winter warming?

Big steam kettle cooks the figs

The fig sprayer just needs a coat of paint is ready to get to work

Inside the barn where the horse was the mainstay of the farm

Horseshoes, anvil and spinning sharpening stone also come in handy

Inside the house where the first floor shows the house in 1895

The family's furniture and portraits fill the main room

Bedroom left of the kitchen has a familiar sewing machine

Kitchen has a spotless time appropriate stove and telephone from later times

Replica home does not have a working fire place, head up stairs

The first room is a history of F-wood, with locations of 3 fig plants

Brown & Lewis bought the land from League forming his own city elsewhere

Utilities & services started in the 50's, town incorporated in 1960

Population changes over the decades and photos of fig orchards

Mavis signs the guest book in front of photos of early residents

Paintings in the upstairs entry way as we head to 2nd upstairs bedroom

2nd room gives the history of the Friends Church and town schools

1900 storm took out the 1st church, the Academy housed the church & school

Model of Academy, from 1902-1949, until the new stone church was built

Looking from original High School/Junior High to Friends church on right

Academy furniture and pew plus original diploma on the wall

Hymnals and portraits of the pastors of the church and their families

Portrait of Frank & Mary Brown's wedding photo in the 2nd floor entryway

Back downstairs passing portraits by the 1st school superintendant, Bales

Head outside and visit the 1st barber shop (1951-90) moved here recently

Glines was built from salvaged boards from the original post office

1951 haircuts cost 50¢ and Glines cut until he was 83

Cross F-wood Drive and go by the Friends Church to the Perry House

The oldest remaining Quaker structure in F-wood has been refurbished

The Perry House is between the Friends Church and the old Junior High

The Perry House is only open between 10am-noon today, but is locked

The structure was falling down last time I noticed it

The back yard garden still needs some work however

View from the garden with water pump and less authentic AC

The Perry Milking Barn is also locked up

Jerry finds a satsuma tree in the back with over ripe fruit

I tree trunk created by hurricane Ike is nearby, nice stamp!

The garden will be refurbished next, we promise!

Head over to the Friends Church Cemetery, established in 1895

There are many friends in the Friends Cemetery

The first entry was only 22 years old, a tree fell on him

One of the founders of F-wood, Frank Brown is buried here

Frank's wife, Mary who lived 93 years, is right beside him

Nathan was the 1st called pastor and he built the house next door

Bernard opened and ran the barber shop we saw at the Brown Museum

Zue was the first school administrator and has a school named for her

Fwood's mayor in the 70's found multi purposes for land holdings

Nice grave markers of residents whose children where classmates

Similarly nice and similarly familiar

My first boss and 2nd Elsie who hired me to change the marque letters

The Realty my mom worked at whose marque I changed the letters for

My class of '84 classmate who crashed his airplane

A class of '83 classmate who succumbed to cancer

Likely mother of a class of '87 classmate

Father of a class of '84 classmate

Neighbor of my parents since we moved to F-wood

Friend of Lorna's who took her husband's place on city council

Another early interment dated 1897

Mother of siblings' classmate

Owners of longtime service station & soil yard in front of old Junior High

Grand child whose death probably caused the closing of the station & soil yard

Very nice grave marker that had to be photographed

Another fine marker and likely relative to the city founder

Find the marker in front of the church near F-wood Drive

Founded in 1895, church & school was central to the life of the community

Historical Marker right beside the front door of the 1938 Cecil Brown House

Fwood's 1st brick structure is the home of the Alton Todd Law Firm

Catty corner from Friends Church across Spreading Oaks is a newer marker

The site of the first Post Office shown in a photo inside the Brown Museum

Back across F-wood Drive by the Albritton Soil Yard to another new marker

Site of the first merchandise store, 1907-1961, replaced by Baker's

The fig orchard sign is across Friendswood Drive from new City Hall

500 acre fig plantations where once here, who eats figs today?

Another sign found on Pecan St. between FM2351 and First Baptist Church

The original Frank Brown house was built here, a replica is now the museum

Another Historical Society sign in front of Lary's Florest on Fwood Drive

Cecil Brown's fig plant 1924-1958 had the most impact on Friendswood

Discover another sign by the new Friends Church on May 10, 2017

The Quaker Academy school was here 1902-1949

Discover another sign in the Old City Park on November 23, 2020

A dry oil well was dug here in 1922

New plaque added later on the Quakers establishing Fwood June 10, 1895

Beside the family brick path to the Gazebo in Stevenson Park