Elizabethtown, Texas
| Elizabethtown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Location in Texas
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | circa 1850 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | Texas | ||
| County : | Denton County | ||
| Coordinates : | 33 ° 1 ′ N , 97 ° 17 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Central Standard Time (UTC − 6) | ||
| Height : | 191 m | ||
| GNIS ID : | 1378252 | ||
Elizabethtown , formerly known as Bugtown ( Eng . Bug Town ), is a ghost town about 25 kilometers southwest of Denton in Denton County in the state of Texas in the United States . The name of the city is derived from the adjacent stream Elizabeth Creek .
history
Foundation and advancement
The first settlers belonging to the Peters' Colony reached Elizabethtown around 1850. The settlement soon served as a kind of supply station for cowboys who drove their herds north to Kansas. The city's founders, the Harmonsons, laid the decisive foundations. So they built a church, shops, several houses and a school. This was attended by 25 students at peak times. By 1859, the city already had six saloons , a hotel and a post office, which was a city at the time. According to the residents of the nearby town of Justin , the town was also called Bugtown because one night an enormous number of bugs swarmed over an illuminated camp and caused trouble there.
During the American Civil War , the border in and west of Denton County remained undefended against Native American raids, so many families moved east during that time. However, many returned later. As the city began to grow again, four department stores, another hotel and even a livery stable , a stable that cowboys could rent to house horses, opened. In addition, a Baptist and a Methodist Church as well as a Masonic House were founded.
Decline
The last Denton County's revenue stamp to mention Elizabethtown was in 1880. The Texas and Pacific Railroad , built in 1881 from Fort Worth through Denton County, bypassed Elizabethtown by two miles. As a result, a great many residents moved two miles east to the newly formed city of Roanoke . This is where they brought their Elizabethtown establishments, such as shops, churches, and the Masonic House. The only remnant of the first town in southwest Denton County is the local cemetery, which has been preserved and is still in use today.
geography
As mentioned earlier, the ghost town is on Elizabeth Creek . This creek is located off State Highway 114 , which is part of Interstate 35 .
climate
The Elizabethtown area has high air temperatures for most of the year. On summer days it can rain every now and then, in September and October it can be particularly heavy.
Web links
- Elizabethtown, Texas in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- Elizabethtown, Texas in the Handbook of Texas , Texas State Historical Association website
- Elizabethtown ghost town
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Jeannine Meyer Sell: Elizabethtown, Texas. In: Handbook of Texas Online. University of Texas at Austin, accessed August 21, 2011 .