1. Indianola
Indianola is a ghost town located on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County, Texas. Once a leading port on the Gulf Coast, Indianola was ravaged by two powerful hurricanes in just over a decade. As a result, the remaining residents moved inland, leaving Indianola to the tides. Railroad service from Indianola to the interior began in 1871. With a population of more than 5,000, Indianola was at the peak of her prosperity when the 1875 hurricane struck. The town rebuilt on a smaller scale and then was almost obliterated by the hurricane of August 20, 1886, and an accompanying fire. By 1887 the site had been abandoned. SPOOKY!!!
2. Cryer Creek
Once a bustling little town, Cryer Creek is yet another victim of being bypassed by the railroad. Although not technically “dead,” the population of Cryer Creek has been less than 20 for over 30 years!! It is located at the intersection of f.m. 1126 and 2930, four miles north of Barry, Tx. Cryer Creek took its name from a nearby creek. Settlers thought a fall in the stream sounded like a woman crying. There is not to much to see there except for a very old cemetery and an old building that was once a grocery store.
3. Helena
Once part of the rowdy “Old West,” it is rumored a gunfight ultimately “killed” Helena when a wealthy rancher’s son was shot down and the angry father persuaded the railroad to bypass Helena. By 1904 the population had fallen to 181 and by 1933 to 100. It increased to 200 by 1939, and Helena had seven businesses by 1952. Its school was closed in 1945, and its post office was discontinued in 1956. In 1990 and again in 2000 Helena had a population of thirty-five. The 1873 courthouse, the old post office, the John Ruckman Home, the Sickenius farmhouse, and the jail have been restored as museum pieces. Four historical markers are located in the area, commemorating the town, the courthouse, the Harmony Baptist Church and Cemetery, and the Helena Union Church (no longer standing). Each year, on a Saturday in December, the Helena post office operates for one day as part of a Christmas celebration along the Alamo-La Bahía route. The post office issues special cachets and postal cancellations for mail sent through Texas and the nation.
4. Dodge City
A real “Old West” town right here in Texas. Although only two cabins remain, Dodge City is still the site of 1800s-style gunfight re-enactments. Originally located on the Colorado River near present day Violente. All log cabins that were not moved to higher grounds were submerged by Lake Travis. Today, two cabins from this ghost town survive and have been relocated to Fort Tumbleweed on 16450 West HW 29 near Liberty Hill, Texas (the site is open only on weekends). During the days of the republic of Texas, two log settlements were built along the Colorado River by hearty settlers. The downstream settlement was known as Waterloo and was home to the Webster family and friends that were massacred by the Comanche Indians near present day Leander Texas in 1839.
5. Fort Griffin
Once used to offer protection to North Texas settlers!! Set in the unspoiled natural environment of West Texas, Fort Griffin held command over the southern plains, as one in a line of frontier defensive forts from 1867 to 1881. Among the ruins today are a mess hall, barracks, first sergeant’s quarters, bakery, powder magazine and hand-dug well. The site also includes a portion of the official Texas Longhorn herd, scenic campgrounds, nature trails and some of the biggest skies in Texas.
