Two theories are given as to how Frankston got its name. The one most accepted is that Frankston was named for Frankie Miller, a young woman who donated land for the downtown city park. An alternate theory for the name of the town was that Frankston was named after Frank Miller, who owned the land when the railway was built. The Miller house still stands as a historical landmark in the southeast part of town, on ACR 19. The state bought the land from him and named the city in his honor. The original Main Street still holds the name Miller Street. The junction of Highways 155 and 175 is now the center of the town.
Geography
Frankston is located in northeastern Anderson County at , at the intersection of U.S. Highway 175 and State Highway 155. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all of it land.
A railroad line operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad served Frankston from 1902 until its abandonment in the mid-1980s. The only remaining vestige of the rail line in the city is a building used by the railroad company as a depot; it now serves as Frankston's public library.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, 1,209 people, 472 households, and 320 families resided in the town. The population density was 488.6 people per square mile. The 525 housing units averaged 212.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 86.68% White, 10.92% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.91% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.81% of the population. Of the 472 households, 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were married couplesliving together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were not families. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was distributed as 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 24.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,125, and for a family was $37,130. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $20,313 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,609. About 12.8% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 25.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Frankston's City Hall building, on the west side of downtown, also includes its police department and an annex for the Anderson County sheriff's department. Frankston is served by a volunteer fire department. Anderson County operates a subcourthouse located on the southwest corner of Frankston's downtown square. The U.S. Postal Service operates a post office, located east of downtown at 400 East Main Street, Frankston, Texas 75763-9997.
Library, museum
Frankston's public library is located on the south side of the downtown square, inside the restored railroad depot. Adjacent to the Depot Library is the Kathleen Cook Fitzgerald Museum. The building originally served as a local courthouse in years past, but was moved to its current site and restored in 1985. The museum's focus is historical artifacts of Frankston and its vicinity. Mrs. Fitzgerald, a local schoolteacher, wished for both a library and museum in the city.
