These seven Texas ghost towns are filled with eerily beautiful ruins
Kelly Kazek
October 12 | 2019
Carol M. Highsmith | Library of Congress
Texas has vast stretches of nothing but dirt and scrub grass. In its pioneering days, when Texans were fighting for their identity, tiny towns dotted the plains, with each trying to dig a foundation sturdy enough to survive.
Some of those towns survived and thrived, while others experienced changes such a mine failures, railroad bypasses, hurricanes and floods. Those towns with dwindling populations are now considered ghost towns, although a few still have proud residents who refuse to give up. The designation of "ghost town" largely comes from the number of abandoned buildings and other signs of the former boom towns. They are favorites of explorers and photographers.
Let's take a look at some areas that were labeled ghost towns by the San Antonio Express-Newsandthe Houston Chronicle..
Terlingua, Texas
Located in Brewster County, Texas, near the Rio Grande, the mining district of Terlingua still has about 50 residents.
The town spring up after the discovery of cinnabar in the area. Metal mercury was extracted from the cinnabar and, in the mid-1880s, miners flocked to the area. The mineral terlinguaite was also discovered there. At its height, Terlingua had as many as 2,000 residents.
The Chisos Mining Co. closed when the cinnabar was depleted. Today, ruins of the mining village can still be seen in the area.
Lobo, Texas
Lobo, Texas, is a true ghost town – it was abandoned in 1991 and has a population of zero. However, it was purchased in 2001 by three friends who began restoring it. Their website, lobo-texas.com, says it is private property and permission is required to visit. You can contact them through the website. The group uses the site to host film festivals and other events.
The town was initially founded because it was home to the only water source, the Van Horn Wells, for miles around. It was a watering stop for the San Antonio-El Paso Railroad but the depot closed in 1962.
An online history says, "For more than 100 years Lobo was a thriving little desert town and watering stop for the railroad. In 1991 Lobo was abandoned by its last residents. Ten years later three desert-loving individuals and their friends began the process of rebuilding Lobo," adding "Lobo, Texas is a private property and not intended for settlement or long-term visits."
Sherwood, Texas
Courthouse in Sherwood
Caesarscott | Wikimedia Commons
Sherwood, the seat of Irion County, is named for the early settler, Granville B. Sherwood. A post office opened in the 1880s and a courthouse was built in 1900.
According to the Texas State Historical Society, "in 1900, Sherwood was virtually the county's only population center."
For a time, it was a stop on the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad. The railroad bypassed the town in 1911 and he county seat was moved to the new town of Mertzon. Residents began leaving until, in 1986, Sherwood has a population of 47. Remarkably, it had grown to 150 by the year 2000.
Indianola, Texas
La Salle monument in Indianola
Larry D. Moore | Wikimedia Commons
The town of Indianola was established in 1853 on Matagorda Bay and Powderhorn Bayou, where "it had been relocated to take advantage of deeper waters to accommodate steamships of Morgan Lines that had chosen this area due to ease of access from the Gulf," the town's website says.
Ship traffic grew steadily. By 1875, the website said, the town had "travelling baseball teams, Fourth of July Celebrations, fire brigades, churches, schools, theaters, billiard parlors and photography studios."
It was Mother Nature who eventually caused the town's demise. The history says, "The hurricane of September 1875 inflicted extensive damage and loss of life in the town and it was only partially rebuilt by locals unwilling to concede to the forces of nature. Only 11 years later in August of 1886 another hurricane brought havoc to this area of the Texas Coast and an end to this once prosperous frontier seaport."
Barstow, Texas
Bartsow
NicholasHenderson | Wikimedia Commons
Barstow was founded as a stop on the Missouri Pacific Railroad on 1891 when "the townsite was laid out and a post office established. Barstow became the county seat when Ward County was organized in 1892," the Texas State Historical Society says. A courthouse was built in 1893 and soon, Barstow has a population of 1,103
The TSHA says on its website that the town eventually had "three churches, a bank, a hotel, an opera house, and a weekly newspaper, the West Texas Journal … and a power plant was built to generate electricity."
In 1904, grapes grown in Barstow won a silver medal at the World's Fair in St. Louis. Unfortunately, in that same year, flooding ruined many local farms. In 1907 and 1910, the farmers were hit with droughts and more ruined crops. Residents began leaving and, in 1938, the county seat was moved to Monahans.
As of 2000, the population was about 406 people.
The Grove, Texas
General store in The Grove
Renelibrary | Wikimedia Commons
Not surprisingly, the town of The Grove, established circa-1859, was named because the first settlers discovered a large grove of Texas live oaks.
After the Civil War, the town had two general stores, a mill, a cotton gin and a Lutheran Church built by German immigrants. St. Paul Lutheran Church still stands.
The town's downfall was due to re-routing of Highway 36 and construction of the North Fort Hood training center. The public school closed in 1948 but a Lutheran school stayed open until 1962. The current population is about 60. A number of original buildings are still standing on Main Street.
Independence, Texas
Independence was once a wealthy cotton town and home to Baylor University and Sam Houston. It was selected as the first site of the Baylor campus in 1845, according to the town's website.
Sam Houston, of Texas Revolution fame, lived in Independence with his wife and mother. The town might have grown and prospered but city leaders refused to grant a right-of-way for the construction of the Santa Fe Railroad. With no transportation for its students, Baylor was forced to relocate to Waco.
"The Civil War, the by-pass of the railroad, and Baylor's relocation in 1886 altered the Independence economy," the site says. "Today, Independence remains a diverse community, its landscape dotted with many reminders of its rich and varied history. These sites and symbols, combined with the extraordinary natural beauty of the area—rolling hills, open vistas, and ageless trees—contribute to the past and present story of Independence."
Today, it has about 140 residents as well as some well-preserved landmarks, including the Texas Baptist Historical Center; Baylor College Park, Old Independence Cemetery, Houston-Lea Family Cemetery, the Margaret Houston House and other historic homes..
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