Ghost Town
Guide to the Ghost Towns of
“The
Do you have
|
The "It's
not exaggerated to think of 800
miles wide and nearly that far from north to south." In
the descriptions below, you will note a road type called FM. This stands for
Farm-to-Market Roads, which are a secondary class of state-maintained roads
that are generally paved, striped and reflectorized. However, a few may be graded dirt or
gravel, but are generally readily passable in a family car. Enjoy your brief visit
to some of PLEASE NOTE: Where photos are indicated thusly (PHOTO!), please use your browser’s “BACK”
button to return to this page. More
photos will be added over time. |
ACME
|
Hardeman Co. |
A class C
gypsum-mining town located on US 285, four miles northwest of Quanah. The
deposits were discovered in 1890, by James Sickler. It was a company town,
and in 1930 had 515 people, four stores, a post office and a school. Ruins of
the old town lie just near a still active gypsum plant. |
ALANREED
AKA - Elfin Grove |
Gray Co. |
This sleepy, semi-ghost, class D, roadside community
molders along the south side of I-40, at EXIT 135, 44 miles east of Alanreed was our Ghost
Town of the Month for June 1999. |
BELKNAP
|
Young Co. |
A class B-military
post support town just east of SH 251, three miles south of |
CLAIRMONT
|
Kent Co. |
Founded in 1888, this
class D-ranching center is at the junction of SH 208/US 380, 13 miles
southwest of Jayton. In 1892, Clairmont became the county seat, and by 1900
boasted 65 people, a post office, and a two-story courthouse with attached
jail made from locally quarried stone. Through the 1930s and 1940s the
population hovered around 200, but after WW II ended, the people left, and in
1954 the county seat was transferred to Jayton. In 1990, 15 people remained. |
DABNEY
|
Uvalde Co. |
Information
contributed by John Chamberlin |
D’HANIS
(1ST
SITE) |
Medina Co. |
This class
B-agricultural community is located 1.5 miles from present town of |
AKA - "The
Flat”
|
Shakelford Co. |
Like Belknap, above,
only rubble remains of this class B good-times town located just outside the
military post at |
|
Frio Co. |
In 1990, 38 people,
ruins and a museum remained of this class D, former county seat. It is
located south of the |
|
Karnes Co. |
Located at the
junction of SH 80/FM 81, 11 miles east of Hobson, which is 46 miles southeast
of |
INDIANOLA
AKA – Karlshaven
|
Calhoun Co. |
Located on the
southwest side of |
KELSEY
|
Upshur Co. |
This former Mormon
Colony once fed the growth of other colonies in |
|
LOBO AKA
– Van Horn Wells |
Culbertson Co. |
This class D stage
station/railroad station/highway/agricultural town on US 90, 14 miles south
of Van Horn sits in a dry valley between the Wylie and Van Horn Mountains in
the far western part of the state about 125 AIR miles southeast of |
|
MOBEETIE AKA
– Hidetown, Sweetwater |
Wheeler Co. |
A class C ghost 0.5
miles south of the junction of SH 152/FM 48, 11 miles west of Wheeler and
just south of New Mobeetie. Dating to 1874, this was a former buffalo hunters
camp, military support town and one tough frontier community just outside |
PERICO
AKA – Farwell
|
Dallam Co. |
On US 87, 24 miles
northwest of Dalhart. In 1888, the
Fort Worth & Denver Railroad established a siding called Farwell, but little
happened until 1905 when the name changed and farms were established in the
area. A railroad station, the agent's home, and a people appeared. By the
early 1930s, the town had become a farming center for that part of the
county, and there was a farm implement dealer/store, gas station, grain
elevator, lumberyard, post office, two-story school, and a large train
station. As late as 1960 there were 40 people here, but by 1990 the town was
dead. Perico was our Ghost
Town of the Month for August 2004. |
PRAHA
AKA – Mulberry
|
Fayette Co. |
This class D
agricultural community was named by the original Czechoslovakian settlers
after the capital city of |
SHAFTER
|
Presidio Co. |
A class C
silver-mining town located on US 67 19 miles north of Presidio, northwest of
Big Bend National Park. The mines were active from 1880 until closed by the
US Government in September of 1942. The town of |
TASCOSA
|
Oldham Co. |
Twenty-three miles north of Vega, and north of the |
TERLINGUA
|
Brewster Co. |
Located above the Rio Grande
near Big Bend National Park, 80 miles south of Alpine, this class D mercury
mining town began operations in the 1880s and boomed through the 1890s. There
was a major resurgence in 1903 that lasted until the US Government closed the
mines in 1942 after $40 million in mercury was produced. 1000 people were
served by company housing (simple adobe and rock hovels), a hotel, post
office, store, and later on a gas station and movie theatre. Many ruins
remain, and the site is famed as the annual location for the National Chili
Cook-offs. The old store and a few residences have been re-occupied, and the
1990 population has increased to 25. |
Texas
Escapes.com: This website is an interesting site with
lots of information on
Thurber:
An individual town web page with lots of historic info on the
old ghost of Thurber.
MORE INFORMATION
|
Historians estimate that there may be as many as
50,000 ghost towns scattered across the These original guides are designed for anybody
interested in ghost towns. Whether you are a casual tourist looking for a new
and different place to visit, or a hard-core ghost town researcher, these
guides will be just right for you. With over 30 years of research behind
them, they will be a welcome addition to any ghost towner's library. Thank
you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail! For
more information on the ghost towns of E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE: Due
to the tremendous amount of viruses, worms and “spam,” out there, I no longer
open or respond to any e-mails with unsolicited attachments, OR messages on
the subject lines with “Hey”, “Hi”, “Need help”, “Help
Please”, “???”, or blank subject lines, etc. If you do send E-mail asking for
information, or sharing information, PLEASE
indicate the appropriate location AND
state name, or other topic on the “subject” line. THANK
YOU! :o) |
IMPORTANT These listings and historical vignettes of ghost
towns, near-ghost towns and other historical sites in TEXAS above are
for informational purposes only, and should NOT
be construed to grant permission to trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure
hunt at any of the listed sites. If the reader of this guide is a metal detector
user and plans to use this guide to locate sites for metal detecting or relic
hunting, it is the READER'S
responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners.
Please be advised, that any state or nationally owned sites will probably be
off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or
local laws restricting the same. When you are exploring the ghost towns of |
Also visit: Ghost
Town
Home Page
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A few LINKS to outside webpages:
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Towns | Treasure
Hunting
| License
Plate Collecting | Genealogy
***
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FIRST POSTED: 1999
***
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