Features
Doole
Shafter
Hot Wells (Tribute)
Zella
Payton Colony
Sutherland Springs


Special Feature
Fowlerton

Maps
Main (Texas)
Feature Maps:
 Doole
 Shafter
 Hot Wells
 Zella
 Payton Colony
 Sutherland Springs
 Fowlerton

Opinions
Tourist Traps

References

Texas Sites
Texas Monthly
Texas Highways
Texas Parks and
  Wildlife

Texas Historical
  Commission

Links across Texas
Texas WebSite
  Directory

It’s coming!

The purpose of this webpage will be to provide those interested in Texas Ghost Towns with information that is

  • free
  • recent
  • easily accessible
  • on-going
  • interactive (E-mail)


No other Texas Ghost Town websites of this kind exist.


In bi-monthly to monthly page updates several towns will be featured. Some of these towns will have appeared in publication form. Whenever possible, the publications will be cited along with any other books, maps, documents, or individuals used during research. The format of this page will fluctuate between pure ghost town coverage and an intermingling of ghost towns with related topics and interviews.

What is a Ghost Town?


Webster’s defines ghost town as "the remains of a deserted town, permanently abandoned especially for economic reasons."

There are hundreds of ghost towns in the state of Texas, but there are less than ten dedicated Texas Ghost Town Reference Sources.
Three good resources are

  • Ghost Towns of Texas by T. Lindsay Baker, 1991; (bookstores and libraries),
  • Ghost Towns of Texas by Jim Wheat, the 1980 edition taken from his maps; library, Texana),
  • The 35 Best Ghost Towns in East Texas and 220 Other Towns We Left behind by Bob Bowman, 1991; (special order Amazon.com books).

What is a Texas Ghost Town?


There are few if any permanently abandoned towns in Texas. Some Texas Ghost Towns lie within a short distance of newer versions of themselves. Some lie beside new homesteads. Others are under restoration for profit while still others provide homes for squatters. In Texas, the proverbial ghost town is rare if it exists at all.
To be fit for the Texas Ghost Town page, a Texas ghost town will be defined by its

  • structures
  • location
  • accessibility
  • quality
  • history


Structures

Except to report historical fact, no single structures will be featured on this page unless they are the remains of a ghost town. Except to report the fact, no structureless ghost town will be featured on this page.

Location

No single or multiple structures will be featured on this page if they are located within a large city.

Accessibility

Except to report the fact, no ghost town will be featured on this page if it is located on private property and therefore inaccessible.

Quality

Except to report the fact, no Texas Ghost Towns that have been restored for tourists will be featured.
All other single- or multi-structur
e ghost towns located on legally accessible property, no matter their condition, will be featured on this page.

History

All ghost towns featured on this page will have a verifiable history and cause for initial abandonment.

The list on the left side of this page outlines what will be the first full Texas Ghost Town submission.
What follows is a small sampling.  The current format is short, concise, and without detail.

Coming soon…


All photos and text copyrighted by Texas Ghost Towns Webpage unless otherwise specified.


Doole, Tx.
One of Texas' best preserved ghost towns...


Fowlerton, Tx.
One of Texas' "Near Ghost Towns"...


Shafter, Tx.
Slated for demolition in 1994...


Hot Wells Hotel
San Antonio, TX.
Turn of the century Sulfur Bath Resort burns for the fourth time...


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