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

Rice is a historical marker in Rice, Navarro County, dedicated in 1986. It is one of 128 historical markers documented in Navarro County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 218 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.2476, -96.4971 near Rice. The nearest cataloged historic site is Haynie Memorial Methodist Church (historical marker), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include First Baptist Church of Rice, Rice Cemetery, and Chatfield Baptist Church.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5349011627. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.