Some of the settlers back in the 1880’s were: Mr. Moon and his sons,
John and Robert; Daniel Burnett, Tobe Davis, Alec Davis, Mr. Grice, who
ran a little store and became the first postmaster. Sam Hill, William
Fennell, Ben Lankford, Will Davis, John LaRue, Mr. Holmes, Mr. Cavitt,
and a number of others.
In 1891, Mr. Grice put in a little store here and got a postoffice
established. The postoffice was named Grice in honor of Mr. Grice, who
became the postmaster. The church and school was, for a while, known as
Hamils Chapel, but was later changed to “Grice.”
Anyone was allowed to sell whiskey at that time, so Bob Moon put in a
little saloon and did a big business. John Bates moved from Soules
Chapel community and put in a general merchandising business. A cotton
gin was put up, and new settlers moved in. For a while the school was
taught in the church house, but later on a school building was erected.
About this time a Rev. Weatherby, a Congregational preacher, came in
here and established a church, and another church building was erected
on the original church grounds.
A Mr. Cone, a sawmill man, came in here sometime in the 1880’s and
bought up all this pine timber and put in a big sawmill. This added many
more inhabitants to the community, and increased the attendance of the
school.
The community has changed considerably in the past fifty years. The old
people of the 1890’s have passed on to their reward, and the young ones
have become old. Mr. Allen now operates a store at the Pittsburg and
Gilmer, and the Big Sandy and Simpsonville roads. The postoffice has
long been discontinued, and the school has joined the Harmony
consolidated school district, with the building located near Rosewood.
School buses carry the pupils to and from school, and they have all
modern conveniences.