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