Ed Ranks Ghost Towns of the DFW Metroplex by Name, Part I

This picture is actually from Nevada, but whatever.

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is the massive area of land surrounding the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, covering 11 counties (Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwell, Tarrant, and Wise).

These are the long-abandoned ghost towns of the DFW metroplex, ranked by how awesome their names are (or are not). This is my source, by the way.

Note that for this ranking, I'm not defining "ghost town" as a creepy old western town where there are still the ruins of an old saloon and tumbleweeds that blow through. In fact, those are quite rare, especially in a what is now a metropolitan area. These are towns that used to typically have a post office and show up on maps, but no longer do. Some do still show up on some maps, but are no longer officially considered "towns" of their own, as they were swallowed up by other nearby towns or cities and incorporated. Most of the time, these things are simply now farmland or heaths on the side of some old Texas Farm Road.

I came up with 41 different "ghost towns" of DFW. Obviously that's a lot, so I've split this into two parts.

41. Jellico

Well, this is a dumb name that makes me think of awful "Jellicle Cats." What is Jellico? A horrible misspelling of the biblical "Jericho," perhaps? Nope. It's named by a settler after Jellico, TN. What is Jellico, TN named after then? The best I can do is from Wikipedia, which says it's a derivation of "Angelica, the name of an herb that grows in abundance in the surrounding mountains." But then right after that it says "CITATION NEEDED," meaning basically I have no clue. Maybe that's right. Either way, it's dumb. Founded in Tarrant County in 1881, a store was built in 1888, but then closed in 1912 when the population was about 300 people. As the city of Grapevine grew to the east, Jellico went to die like any town with such a horrible name should die.

40. Richard

Richard is a pretty boring name, other than its association with dicks. In Collin County, it lays abandoned near Blue Ridge and the similarly abandoned Frognot. Oh yeah. There is a Frognot. Just wait til we get to that shit! All that is left of DICKtown though is the 1866 "Old Richard Cemetery."  Tee-hee? I'm not sure.

39. Buchanan

At least now he's the second worst president.

Was this named after the super racist President Buchanan? It was! But he wasn't even elected President yet, since it was founded the same year as the vote (1856). Who names a town after a presidential candidate? Buchanan is from Pennsylvania anyway, not Texas. So it's even worse. Anyway, this place was in Johnson County, and it actually replaced ANOTHER ghost town on this list, Wardville, as Johnson's county seat (since it was in a more central location, required by State law at the time). The year after it was founded it got a post office and a log courthouse.  Its time as county seat only lasted a decade, and everyone agreed that Buchanan sucked because it didn't have a  good fresh water source. Added to that, Hood County was created soon after, and Johnson County's border changed so that Buchanan was no longer in the center. In 1868, the seat of power moved to Camp Henderson, which was eventually named Cleburne. By the 1890s, Buchanan was as useless and forgotten as the President it was named after. 

38. College Mound

Not a bad name in itself, so why down at 38? There are a number of things College Mound could mean, but instead I will say that it was actually named after a college. A college that never existed. They hoped to build a college here, and named it so, but never did build the college. Wow. Talk about lame. In Kaufman County, it's one of the county's oldest communities, as it was founded in the mid 1840s, a decade before a lot of the other settlements came in. There were high hopes for College Mound, obviously. Churches and post offices opened, closed, and reopened later, only to close again. It lasted in mediocrity for nearly 100 years until the 1940s when Terrell absorbed it. Terrell is another town, by the way. Not some guy. If I never learned the origin of the town name, it might rank higher. But knowing that it was named after a college they were too incompetent to ever build is just SAD.

37. Cottage Hill

Founded around 1842 near to what is now Weston, Collin County, all that is left of this town is basically just an old United Methodist Church and a cemetery next to it. A fairly boring name too. This sounds like the name of some slum apartment complex (but with a "pretty" name) run by Jared Kushner.

36. India

Note: This is from the other India.

Then called "Morgan," India was founded in Ellis County in 1852/3 (sources disagree, but about then). 40 years later in 1892, it finally got a post office and had a population of 150,and got the name change to India. The post office closed 12 years later in 1904, and India's population eventually dwindled to 12 whole people. Not much more info on it, or where "India" came from. Is it named after the country? A bad description of Native Americans?  Nobody knows. A book called "1001 Texas Place Names" says that the reasons for the names of both Morgan and India were lost with the deaths of the early settlers. All I know about this place is that there were likely never any epic fights involving monkeys and elephants here, despite what the attached picture might imply. That all happened over at the cool India. Cool as in "impressive," not as in a brisk temperature. India is freakin hot, I assume.

35. Alpha

Alpha was an African American Freeman's town, settled in Dallas County after the Civil War. It reached its peak in the 1890s, opening a store in 1895, and reaching a population of around 111 in 1905. Yet by 1933, that number was down to 50. The last year it was ever counted as an individual community was 1987, when it was still listed as having that number of people after over five decades (consistent, at least). After that, it was de-listed as a place, and the few people that remained were absorbed into Dallas City proper.  I don’t want to talk poorly about a freeman’s community, but the name is… well… it’s just worth ranking at lowly 35. At this point, it might have been better to just give it a random surname, and as you'll see from this ranking I'm not really a fan of just giving towns names after people's surnames either. But then again… all the surnames any recently-freed slaves would have had would have been their master’s names, so I can see why they didn’t go that route. But there were so many better options than “Alpha.” How about Freeville? Lincoln? Union? Liberty? Or my top suggestion: FuckRobertELee, Texas.

34. Nussbaumer

Well, this is a pretty Germanic last name (meaning "one who cares for nut trees"), so we can assume an early German settler (Jacob Nussbaumer, in this case) is the name source for this Dallas County ghost town. It was founded in the 1850s, but vanished from maps by the 1930s. Nussbaumer Avenue in Dallas is basically all that is left to remember it by. People should have known that a hard-to-pronounce foreign town name wouldn’t survive in a country that perpetually hates immigrants.  Although if someone wants to open up a store that sells nuts and snacks on Nussbaumer Ave, it wouldn't be a bad idea.

33. Nash

Oh, that Nash!

Not named after Steve Nash, nor Nash Bridges, this ghost town in Ellis County, near Waxahachie, was instead named after early settler and lawyer, N.J. Nash. I hope the N in N.J. also stands for Nash, and that he was named Nash Nash. Which sounds like something a British nanny would say to an unruly child. "Nash nash, now, young Oliver! No pudding for your unruly behavior!" Where was I? Oh right. Nash, Texas. The ghost town. What this ranking is about. Pretty boring name. Its story is like so many others on this list. It never had a huge population, it had a post office for a few years before it was taken away, and the population vanished over time. There is another Nash elsewhere in TX, but it's still in existence. Maybe that one is named after Nash Bridges. I didn't do any research into it because it's not a ghost town and not even in the DFW metroplex. Leave me alone. Info about the other Nash falls completely outside the scope of this.

32. Whitt

Though nobody knows his first name, most scholars agree that Whitt was named after some early settler with that as his last name. In Parker County, this place was actually the largest on this entire ranking via population, as it was once home to 500 people at its height around 1900! Even some of the top populated of the others barely ever scratched 150 or so. First settled in the 1870s, it had an excellent location for growth being between Weatherford and Jacksboro (both still in existence). It got a post office in 1877, the Parker Institute (a Methodist High School) opened in the early 1880s, and the population increased further with the building of two gristmills, a cotton gin, and three churches. This place was big enough to even have its own newspaper back in the day. Alas, without the railroad, the population began to decline after the turn of the century, and the once-bustling town was hit by the Great Depression pretty hard, so that it's population was down to about 50 after that. Technically it still shows up on maps, and had a reported population of 38 in the 2000 census. It's so unpopulated that any students who live there would actually fall under the Perrin school district of the neighboring Jack County. Again though, towns just given a boring last name of some boring person are boring. We are now well into a solid number of boring “towns named after last names” and “towns named after other, more famous places with the same name” zone.So get used to more of that.

31. Sowers

Yet another German name (though Americanized from " Sauers," this ghost town in Dallas County dates from the 1840s, but didn't get a post office until the 1880s. It was never a huge town though, with the highest population ever recorded around 121. It had a few businesses, including a store, a blacksmith, a doctor and a pharmacist... yet the little bit of businesses that did exist in the town was totally destroyed by the Great Depression. This will be a common theme. Railroads and the Depression. By the 1930s, Sowers was on its way to oblivion. The land where it once stood now belongs to Irving, and like so many of these other ghost towns, only a cemetery remains. Apropos? We are talking about "ghosts!" Perhaps. But I'm ranking names here, and this is but another boring German surname with nothing to woo me. The name might actually mean "cantankerous man" (as in "sour"), but that's not even 100% sure. It would be often if it were true, but not awesome enough for me to rank it any higher than where it's at now.

30. Carter 

Carter (originally Cartersville) was established in Parker County around an old flour mill around the end of the Civil War in 1866/1867. By ex-confederates? Yeah, probably, I'd guess. Judge W. F. Carter was one of three town founders, so that explains the (pretty boring) name. Just being named after some dude is boring. Cartersville would be better than just Carter, and they should have kept it like that. Though seemingly going places in the 1800s, by the turn of the century it dwindled, and most people went to go live in nearby Weatherford. I've been to Weatherford before (for a 4th of July parade, I think). It's pretty boring. Imagine how boring Carter must have been for people to decide Weatherford was better.

29. Buckner

The first county seat of Collin County. That lasted for a total of two years before the seat was changed to McKinney, and the town pretty much vanished instantly. Oh well! A pretty boring name, and all I can think about is Bill Buckner. I guess it was named after some dude with that name. I dunno! This town might be the least-long-lasting one on this entire list. Add that to a pretty vanilla English surname and you have a recipe for "meh."

28. Hebron

But.. but... God told me to!

Obviously named after the city in Palestine associated with Abraham, Hebron, TX is only sort of a ghost town. Technically it still exists, with a population of 415 in the most recent (2010) census. However, it's basically been urban sprawled out of existence. In Denton County, it's completely surrounded by Plano and Carrollton, which really makes it sort of a neighborhood of the larger city rather than a town on its own. Sometimes naming your city after an already famous ancient city works. Philadelphia, for example. Hebron though? That doesn't really do anything for me. Yeah, it's biblical, and a lot of early settlers came as missionaries and religious minorities. Were all of the other good bible city names taken? Hell, if they had founded a town called "Sodom" in Texas, it would definitely be ranked #1. Now that's a place you would want to go to have fun, and I bet it would last long enough to not become a ghost town. Just imagine what kind of stuff the kids from Sodom High School would be into. Hebron High School, on the other hand? You've got to do a little better than just giving us Sam Freeman.

27.  Lebanon

You likely won't be surprised to hear that Lebanon, in Collin County, TX (yes, another Collin County ghost town) is named after "Lebanon." Yet it's not named after the country! Well, not directly. It's actually named after Lebanon, TN, from which the men and women who settled it came. Of course, Lebanon, TN is indeed named after the biblical cedars of the holy land, from which the country name Lebanon also derives. The settlers founded it along the Shawnee Trail in the 1840s, it gained a post office in  the 1860s, and was a bustling town by the 1880s. Being along a trail was great for business... until the train came in, and said train did NOT stop by Lebanon. As is so common when the train bypasses your ol' west town, Lebanon it faded to nothing, and the town of Emerson (later Frisco) later took its post office and legacy. Interestingly, this isn't the ONLY Lebanon Ghost town in Texas, as there are also other Lebanon ghost towns in Hill County and Live Oak County. But none of those are in the DFW area, so fuck em! I’m ranking this next to Hebron because, eh, whatever.You get the Levant connection, right? 

26. Tarrant

The somewhat unoriginal-named Tarrant was founded in Tarrant County long after the county was, being a latecomer around 1905 (when it first got a post office). Unlike the story of many of these other ghost towns, Tarrant was actually created by the coming of the railroads, rather than destroyed by the train. Where there had once been nothing, a railroad switch stop was built, and named "Tarrant" after the county it was in. From there, a town grew, with hopes that it's sweet location along the train tracks would help it grow. Alas, even towns on the tracks don't necessarily thrive. By 1915 the promise of an amazing rail room was already doubtful, as its population was still only 75. One of the biggest problems? The nearby town of Euless was stealing all of Tarrant's thunder. Because of that, the Tarrant post office closed in 1920, and Euless swallowed it up without as much as even a proclamation saying it was so (in the 1940s). Oh, and the county itself is named after General Edward H. Tarrant of the Republic of Texas militia, by the way. Again, just someone’s boring name. If they named everything "Edward," it would be a different story and this would be ranked high. I say that with zero bias.

25.  Alton

Alton couldn't have been named after TV chef personality Alton Brown, as he was not yet born in 1848 when the Texas legislature named this place the county seat of government for Denton County, replacing the stupidly named community of Pinckneyville. Alas, Alton lacked drinkable water! Sort of a big problem. As I've alluded to before, Texas law required that the seat of the county needed to be near the center. Paying attention to little things like "is there potable water" were disregarded in favor of centrality. So after a few years (years in which it only gained one single resident, W. C. Baines), the entire town of Alton moved five miles away to Hickory Creek, keeping its name. Yeah. The whole town moved. All one person, I suppose. Despite being more successful than Alton #1 at is new location, Alton #2 was also decided to be a shitty location, so in 1856, an election was held that picked a new county seat, this time the eponymous "Denton." Almost that quickly, Alton became a ghost town and left behind only a cemetery, chapel, and bridge.In different locations, of course, because I suppose there are two Alton ghost towns.

24. Smithfield

Just some ham.

Mmm. Smithfield ham! That's what I'm thinking of. Instead, this Tarrant County ghost town was first founded as "Zion" in the 1870s, but that was changed when Eli Smith donated a bunch of money. Then Smithfield it was. Bribing people to get a town renamed after something you want is a great idea! Unless you try to bribe a place to rename itself as "Raljon," in which case you are doomed to failure because that's worse than Jellico. A fire hit in 1890, which messed things up pretty bad. The railroad coming hurt things even more, and it began a decline. Still, it survived in some form and maintained a population of about 350 when it was absorbed into North Richland Hills in 1958. So it didn't really become a ghost town as much as it got swallowed up to become a neighborhood. As for where it ranks here… well… at least they didn’t just name it “Smith” like they did with “Alton,” and “Carter” and some of these others. The addition of “Field” makes it slightly more palatable to me.

23. Elizabethtown 

Settled in the 1850s along the Elizabeth Creek, Elizabethtown was one of the first towns in southwest Denton County. Is that fact supposed to impress anyone? I don't know. It was initially a major stop on cattle drives to Kansas. It 1859, it has six different saloons in it. So yeah, definitely a cowboy town! Records show that it also had a  post office, hotel, physician, two blacksmiths, and a wagonmaker. It was first temporarily abandoned during the Civil War, when it was left defenseless and suffered from Native American attacks (good!). It was resettled after the war, and reached its peak in the 1870s. If by "it's peak" you include it being nicknamed "Bugtown" for how infested it was with bugs. Or maybe it referred specifically to public lice, I dunno. I mean, there where six saloons and cowboys. Before the advent of pub trivia, I'm pretty sure that the primary secondary function of saloons was hooker acquisition. But bugs (whether they be cicadas, locusts, or the type on your genitals) didn't kill Elizabethtown. The railroad did, like so many other ghost towns. When the Texas and Pacific Railroad came through Denton County in 1881,  Elizabethtown was bypassed by two miles... thus it went the way of the dodo. Everyone moved to the nearby town of Roanoke (an odd name, speaking of ghostsettlements). While it's not the most exciting name (named after a creek, which itself is named after the daughter of John Denton, for whom the County is named), it's not a terrible name. As with Smithfield, the addition of “town” to “Elizabeth” helps a bit. If I were ranking these towns via their history and cool facts about them, Elizabethtown could very well be #1, as it was a true, old west "cowboy town" with saloons that died when the railroad came and ended the cowboy way of life. Technically it still exists in a way, and if you google map it, you can see it's at the intersection of I-35W and Highway 114. Yet somehow I think that having the "Tanger Outlet Fort Worth" (and the nearby Texas Motor Speedway) no longer qualifies it as a real town anymore. Adios cowboys and hello Crocs plastic shoe outlet store in Suite 240.

22. Toto

Okay, Parker County has some interesting names for ghost towns. Toto was originally "Ray School Community" when founded in 1885, since there was a school there with one teacher. That teacher being Ray, presumably. I wouldn't bet anything on that though. I'm guessing with limited facts here. Then they added a second teacher in 1912 and it became "Toto." Why? No damn clue. There is not much info about Toto anywhere, other than it did exist. Like so many others, it briefly had a post office (1894 to 1904). But Dorthy must have clicked her ruby shoes a few times and taken Toto away with her, since it lost its last store in 1930, and lost the school in 1943. I'm sure there is a joke about that "Africa" song by Toto here too, but I'm not going to bother coming up with anything.

21. Boz

One of these is sort of a Boz.

The interestingly-named "Boz" (I have no idea what the name means, but it sounds like the name of a kooky morning FM Radio DJ) is in Ellis County. It was settled in the late 1880s or early 1890s, but was never that large, and served only as a local school and church community. When the school closed in 1943, most of the rest of the Bozites (or Bozinians, though Boznians would be cool too) left. In 1990, there were 15 people left, but then 14 of them departed... leaving one sole Bozite, 84-year old Monnie Bratcher. Apparently there was a plan to build the DESERTRON supercollider project there, but it was abandoned. I believe "Desertron" might be a rename for the Decepticon Bliztwing, but repainted in brown and tan camo. A church in Boz was also featured in the 1984 film Places in the Heart (starring Sally Field, John Malkovich, and Danny Glover), set in the Great Depression. Basically all you need to know about Boz towards the end was that someone looked at it in the 1980s and said, "Yep, this craphole looks exactly like we think America must have looked like in the middle of the Great Depression." Sally Field won her second Academy Award for Best Actress for that film. So there is your fun fact which has NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH THESE RANKINGS, because I am ranking these things by the name of the town alone, and not random history facts. And how does the name Boz fare? Though quirky, it's barely not enough to make the top half.

Okay, that's it for now. Next time... TOP 20!!!