Fannett, TX

Fannett is at the junction of State Highway 124 and Farm Road 365, fifteen miles southwest of Beaumont in western Jefferson County. It was named after B. J. (Frangel) Fannett, an early landowner. The nucleus of the community was formed when Fannett and Joe Dugal opened a general store on the Gulf and Interstate Railway during the mid-1890s. The two men secured a post office in 1899. Extensive irrigation and drainage networks were established to facilitate agricultural efforts in the area. The community served as a center for local rice farmers and ranchers, and the population was estimated to be seventy-five in 1925. Although Fannett lost its post office in 1928, the discovery of the Fannett oilfield to the south in 1927 and the Gilbert Ranch oilfield to the northwest in 1958 diversified the local economy. Nonetheless, the community's population has remained small, and the Fannett Independent School District was consolidated with the Hamshire district in 1961. Approximately 100 residents lived at Fannett during the mid-1980s. In 2000 Fannett's population was reported at 105, but locals estimated it to be considerably higher.