Trickham, Texas

Trickham is an unincorporated community in Coleman County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 12 in 2000.

History
Trickham is the oldest community in Coleman County. A post office was established at Trickham in 1879 and remained in operation until 1979. One story claims that local storeowner Bill Franks applied for a post office under the name "Trick'em" because he would "trick" cowboys coming to the area by selling them creek water instead of whiskey. Indian raids in the 1860s and '70s resulted in the deaths of Charlie McCain, Dave Upton, Jake Dofflemyer, and others. When these issues subsided and the post office was established, Trickham had 75 residents served by multiple stores, a hotel, two cotton gins, two churches, a blacksmith shop, and steam-planing mills by 1884. The population went up to 150 in 1892, which then went down to 100 in 1914. The community had three general stores, a cotton gin, a blacksmith, a doctor, a druggist, and a telephone business that same year. The population went down to 79 in 1930, grew to 125 in 1940, then declined in the mid-1960s. The community's general store and gas station closed in 1976. The population plunged to 12 from 1970 through 2000. In 1878, Baptist preacher Noah T. Byars founded the Trickham Union Church, which also served Methodists and Cumberland Presbyterians in the mid-1980s. The Howell Martin Dairy was the only business serving Trickham.

On May 19, 2017, an EF0 tornado struck Trickham. It briefly kicked up debris but caused no noticeable damage.

Geography
Trickham is located on Farm to Market Road 1176 on Mukewater Creek, 12 mi southeast of Santa Anna and 20 mi southeast of Coleman in southeastern Coleman County.

Education
Trickham had its own school in 1884, which remained in operation until 1936. It was turned into a community center used by several groups, including a quilting club. Today, Trickham is served by the Santa Anna Independent School District.

Notable person

 * Leonidas L. Shield, who served on the 20th Texas Legislature.