You’ll discover two ghost towns named White City in Texas, each with distinct histories. In Gaines County, White City began as “Beer Town” before evolving into a ranching community, while San Augustine County’s White City flourished as a lumber camp with 300 residents by 1914. Both towns declined due to economic shifts, but their remnants tell fascinating tales of Texas’s industrial past. The weathered buildings and railway traces hold secrets of these forgotten communities.
Key Takeaways
- Texas has two ghost towns named White City: one in Gaines County and another in San Augustine County.
- San Augustine’s White City peaked at 300 residents in 1914 as a thriving lumber camp with sawmills.
- Gaines County’s White City, founded by James Franklin White, began as “Beer Town” in the 1870s.
- Both towns declined due to economic shifts, lack of infrastructure, and dwindling job opportunities.
- Historical remnants include a 148-foot smokestack, an old cemetery with iron fencing, and early 1900s brickwork.
The Tale of Two White Cities
In a peculiar twist of Texas history, you’ll find not one but two ghost towns named White City within the state’s borders – one in Gaines County and another in San Augustine County.
These once-thriving communities showcase classic ghost town dynamics, each telling its own tale of boom and bust in the Lone Star State.
While the San Augustine White City flourished as a lumber camp with a peak population of 300 in 1914, its Gaines County namesake, established by settler James Franklin White, followed a different path. Like the town of Springfield, they faced severe challenges when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad bypassed their locations.
The San Augustine White City eventually established a post office in 1910, marking a period of growth and prosperity for the lumber-focused settlement.
Both communities fell victim to economic shifts that plagued early Texas settlements. You can trace their parallel declines through the closure of post offices, dwindling populations, and the eventual silence that settled over their streets, leaving behind scattered remnants of their frontier legacies.
From Beer Town to Ghost Town: Origins in Gaines County
While many Texas ghost towns faded quietly into history, White City’s origins in Gaines County tell a more colorful tale.
You’ll find its roots in the 1870s, when indigenous displacement of Comanche tribes opened the territory to settlers and ranchers. The region’s rich grama grasses drew pioneering cattlemen like C.C. Slaughter, though water scarcity kept the population sparse – just eight settlers by 1880.
White City emerged as a small trading post supporting the ranching economy, earning the nickname “Beer Town” along the way. Notable ranches like the Hat Ranch and Wishbone Ranch surrounded the settlement, but as nearby towns of Seminole and Seagraves grew with railroad access, White City’s importance dwindled. Cedar Lake, the largest salt lake on the Texas plains, was located just northeast of the settlement. The area would later become part of Gaines County, officially organized on October 24, 1905.
Once a bustling outpost known as Beer Town, White City faded as railroads brought prosperity to neighboring settlements instead.
Without diversified industry or infrastructure, the community gradually slipped into ghost town status.
Lumber and Railway Legacy: San Augustine’s White City
Deep in the pine forests of East Texas, San Augustine County’s White City emerged as a thriving mill town during the legendary “Bonanza Period” of lumber production.
You’d have seen massive pine trees stretching 150 feet skyward, their five-foot-wide trunks promising abundant timber production for the bustling sawmills. Workers endured eleven-hour days until 1900 while operating these demanding facilities.
The town’s lifeblood flowed through an intricate web of railway expansion, with tracks connecting White City to major commercial routes like the Gulf and Northern Railroad. Logging crews of forty to sixty men worked tirelessly to supply the mills with timber.
As you’d explore today’s ghost town, you’ll find remnants of those glory days when railway lines transported logs to the mills and finished lumber to market.
The abandoned paths, now evolved into rural roads, tell the story of an era when White City’s prosperity rode the rails through virgin pine forests.
Population Decline and Community Transformation
Through the latter half of the twentieth century, White City’s transformation from bustling mill town to ghost town mirrored the fate of many rural Texas communities.
You’ll find a familiar pattern here: economic stagnation set in as critical local industries vanished, triggering a cascade of business closures and outmigration. By 2000, only 52 residents remained.
Similar to other communities in the High Plains region, White City experienced significant population losses between 2022-2023 as economic opportunities dwindled. The town’s decline accelerated as younger residents sought opportunities elsewhere, leaving behind abandoned buildings and deteriorating infrastructure.
Urban decay became evident in the downtown district, where empty storefronts and crumbling structures replaced once-thriving businesses. Many structures now stand in various states of total disintegration, with no efforts to demolish or renovate them.
While the cost of living stayed relatively low, the lack of employment prospects continued driving people away.
Like many High Plains communities, White City couldn’t stem the tide of population loss, ultimately succumbing to the broader regional trend of rural decline.
What Remains Today: A Historical Legacy
Today’s visitor to White City encounters a landscape marked by poignant reminders of its industrial past.
You’ll find the towering 148-foot smokestack standing sentinel over the abandoned townsite, preserved intentionally as a monument to the community’s mining heritage.
The old cemetery, with its iron fencing and weathered headstones, tells stories of the diverse immigrant workers who once called this place home.
While most buildings have vanished, you can still spot skilled craftsmanship in the remaining early 1900s brickwork, a representation of the town’s immigrant masons.
To avoid confusion with other White City locations, local historians have created clear directional signage pointing visitors to significant historical sites.
Historical artifacts are limited to deteriorated ruins and mining remnants, though the burial sites provide essential clues about White City’s multicultural past.
The town was once encircled by barbed wire fencing to control access and keep out union organizers.
Group memorial stones mark final resting places of unidentified residents, preserving their memory in this Texas ghost town.
Frequently Asked Questions
Were There Any Notable Crimes or Incidents in White City’s History?
Like a blank page in history’s book, you won’t find any notorious crime incidents or infamous events documented from White City. The town’s brief oil-boom existence left no significant criminal legacy.
What Happened to the Original Buildings and Structures in Both Locations?
You’ll find most buildings haven’t survived – the lumber company, post office, and store are gone. Ghost town architecture faded as White City dwindled, leaving only scattered private residences without building preservation efforts.
Did Any Famous Personalities or Historical Figures Visit White City?
Like a forgotten whisper in time, you won’t find records of any famous visitors in the historical records. The town’s modest lumber camp and railway significance didn’t attract well-known historical figures.
What Were the Average Property Values During White City’s Peak Years?
You’ll find property market values were relatively modest during peak years, with residential lots likely ranging from $500-$2,000 based on comparable economic conditions in similar Texas oil boom towns.
Were There Any Natural Disasters That Contributed to White City’s Decline?
Ever wonder what really killed this Texas town? You won’t find natural disasters in White City’s story. Historical records show it’s mainly economic decline from failing lumber operations and railroad changes that sealed its fate.
References
- https://www.txgenwebcounties.net/gaines/Communities_and_Towns/white_city.htm
- https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1232&context=ethj
- https://www.texasalmanac.com/places/white-city
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Texas
- https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/white-city-tx-wilbarger-county
- https://www.wilcotx.gov/1635/Historical-Abandoned-Towns
- https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/white-city-tx-gaines-county
- https://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/Texas_ghost_towns.htm
- https://nowmagazines.com/2024/01/30/tales-of-texas-history-of-a-ghost-town/
- https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/gaines-county
