GUY, TEXAS. Guy is at the intersection of State Highway 36 and Farm Road 1994, eighteen miles south of Richmond in Fort Bend County. The first settler in the area was Philip F. Ward in 1890; other settlers who arrived between 1891 and 1894 included S. A. Beard, J. G. and Frank Goth, H. Hoelewyn, R. G. Hughes, R. V. Board, Dr. William Lowry, Sr., and Louis Wolf. A tremendous migration of family farmers into the area required the establishment of the first Guy school in 1897. The community was granted a post office in 1898 and was named after a little crippled girl, Una Guy Rowland, the daughter of Orr Rowland, who was the first Guy postmaster. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 inflicted damage on the community. In 1918 the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway built through the area two miles southwest of the post office, and the businesses and school moved to the rail line. The former townsite became known as Old Guy, and a large community dance hall was left there for a number of years. In 1922 the two Guy schools served four black and eighty-two white pupils, and the community comprised a garage, a gin, and a combination general store-post office. In 1932 State Highway 36 was completed between Old Guy and the new Guy site, and in time the businesses and post office moved to the highway. The dance hall was also moved a mile west to the new highway, where it remained until 1980,when it was bought by the George Foundation and moved to the George Ranch headquarters near Richmond.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: S. A. McMillan, comp., The Book of Fort Bend County (Richmond, Texas, 1926).

Esther Beard  

Evelyn Schultz is standing with her grandchildren in front of Guy Hall prior to the building being moved to George Ranch.

Guy Hall today, at George Ranch Historical Park where it is available for rentals.

Guy Hall was built in 1913 and held their very first dance on July 4^th the very same year. Like Farichild Hall it held a variety of different types of events, including gymnastics lessons referred to as sokol- the gymnastic anchors are still in the floors today. The hall was originally placed near present day FM1994 and Padon Rd. In 1927, Mr. Foss purchased the hall and moved it using rollers and horses to his land on highway 36 where Schultz Bros Trucking currently stands. Longtime resident, Calvin Schultz, said that when Mr. Foss moved the hall to hwy 36, the hall was raised to solve a practical problem - at the old location people would gather around the windows and reduce air circulation within the hall. Mr. Foss’s reasoning was that if you wanted to see the dance, you had to buy a ticket. The Schultz’s sold the hall to the George Foundation who moved it to the George Ranch where it can be seen today. The Hall is still rented for receptions, the stenciling you see on the walls was the original done by Czech immigrants to the areas in the early 20^th century. Even though it’s not in its original location, the hall maintains a classic beauty which makes it a popular wedding reception spot.The Damon Mound salt dome, five miles away, provided employment for town residents, and by 1940 the community population had grown to 200. In 1946 the Guy common school district consolidated with the Needville Independent School District, and by 1949 the Guy School had been discontinued. The population of Guy declined to 150 by 1945, 100 by 1966, and 25 by 1972. From 1988 through 2000 the community's population was estimated at sixty. Railroad service to the area was discontinued in the 1980s. In the 1990s a trucking firm, a convenience store, a new brick post office, and a combination tavern and cafe served the community, and in 2000 Guy had thirteen businesses.