Suez, Texas Community
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| Comanche county in 1908 including Suez and other vanished communities. |
The Suez community was located southwest of De Leon on either side of CR 433 immediately west of its juncture with FM 2318. Joe H. Stephenson owned the land along the north side of the road while a Mrs. Hansford owned the land along the south side.
The community began to evolve in 1900 when Stephenson and Tom Miller built a gin on the south end of Stephenson’s stock tank. As development occurred, several businesses opened along the north side of the road while the Baptist Church and school were built on the south side of the road.
After the gin was constructed, the Fork Valley Common School District consolidated with the Fox Ridge Common School District forming the Suez Common School District. A building was constructed on land donated by Mrs. Hansford conditional upon the tract’s continued use as a school.
Following the construction of the school, Robert C. Thomas opened a general store in late 1902 or early 1903 between the gin and the road. Later in 1903, Thomas built an addition across the back of his store for a barbershop and then followed with a blacksmith shop to the west of the store. Thomas later sold the store to Horace Holdridge. The store closed after later being sold by Holdridge to another party.
During Thomas’ ownership, a post office operated out of the store. It was indicated by Julia Stephenson Martin that the name Suez was selected by the U.S. Post Office. Thomas was appointed post master on May 2, 1903. The office was discontinued on June 15, 1907 and the mail service shifted into the De Leon office.
Mrs. Hansford also donated land for the Suez Baptist Church, again conditional upon the continued use of the site as a church. The church initially constructed a tabernacle behind the school and in 1903 constructed a church building to the east of the school.
Suez’ decline began in 1908 when the gin burned. It has been long held that during a movie being shown one night at the school, a boy slipped over to the gin where he had hidden some whiskey for refreshment. He struck a match to find the whiskey and then tossed the match aside. It fell into a pile of cotton hulls and lint and the gin was lost.
Then on the morning of April 3, 1915 the school burned. It was election day for school trustees and poll officials had gathered early in the school house. When they built a fire in the stove, the flue did not function correctly and caught the building on fire. The value of the building was estimated at $800 to $1,000.
With the decline of the community, the Suez school sent its upper grade students to the Beattie school beginning in 1928 and consolidated into the Beattie School in 1931. Not long after, the Baptist Church moved to Beattie and the United Pentecostal Church began meeting in the former Baptist building. Mrs. Hansford eventually sold the church land to the Pentecostals when she moved away from Suez.
Suez School Faculty
Comanche Common School District #49
1914-15: J.M. Riordan, Betrice Robinson
Suez School Trustees
