These 10 Texas Ghost Towns Are the Perfect Ghost Hunting Destinations

What was once a nation of forests and open plains has blossomed into a country of prosperity.

But not every city made it.

Scattered between our developments lies evidence of towns that did not succeed.

Updated 2/11/2020 – These abandoned towns, called ghost towns, are essentially stuck in time.

Today, we look at those towns…and the spirits that still call them home.

These Ten Texas Ghost Towns Are the Perfect Ghost Hunting Destinations

10) Zuehl – Guadalupe County, TX

In 1870 a gentleman named Ferninand Zuehl purchased a large plot of land and opened up a store.

Several buildings followed, including a local post office.

While businesses have left, the town has around forty residents that still call Zuehl home.

It’s been said that many left on account of hearing ghost children play in front of the empty schoolhouse building in town.

Many say they hear a phantom school bell ring each morning.

9) Adobe Walls – Hutchinson County, TX

Adobe Walls was established in 1874.

The town catered to hunters who tracked Bison within the panhandle.

Later that year, a horde of Indians attacked the town, scattering the settlement.

While there are little remains left, visitors claim severe headaches occur in the area.

Many have stated it feels as if they are being scalped.

Recently, other visitors have said that if you go to Adobe Walls when there is high wind, you can still hear the sounds and screams of the battle in 1874.

8) Salt Gap – McCulloch County, TX

Salt Gap became a town in 1905.

Established as a small, rural community, the town served local farmsteads and ranches.

When farmland was consolidated in the 1940s, Salt Gap was abandoned.

Today, only two small, dilapidated shacks remain.

Residents of the county have reported seeing misty apparitions near the two shacks late at night when passing through.

Many believe that they were once farmers who do not realize they are now dead.

7) Catarina – Dimmit County, TX

Catarina was first developed during the 1920s but quickly grew to a thousand people a decade later.

There were grand schemes to expand the town, but Catarina lost a majority of its residents during the Great Depression, and when the town wells dried up.

Today, only a few dozen residents remain and it’s been said that they have come to fear their town.

Many claim that they can see ghosts of former residents walk by their windows during the night.

6) Cheapside – Gonzales County, TX

Thomas Baker built the first home in Cheapside in 1857.

Residents began to produce cotton, and the town blossomed as a result.

However, much like Catarina, Cheapside became a ghost town during the Great Depression.

Today, visitors report hearing a disembodied voice of a woman near one of the remaining empty buildings.

They claim she is crying and begging for something to eat for her hungry children.

One visitor believes the ghost woman touched her shoulder from behind.

5) Poesta – Bee County, TX

The town of Poesta was established around 1890.

When a school was established in 1894, the town grew tenfold.

Very little is known why the town of Poesta was abandoned.

The school building is used by a local men’s club, and several members are convinced Poesta is haunted by a poltergeist.

Objects and furniture in the club are often out of place or missing.

It’s been said that the poltergeist has left messages to the club, ordering them to get out.

4) Doan’s Crossing – Wilbarger County, TX

During the early 1880s, Mr. Doan and his uncle established a supply store on the Red River for cattlemen on their way to Kansas.

However, in 1885 railroads were built in the surrounding area, making the path along the river obsolete.

A few structures, including the supply store, remain.

Visitors traveling on the river have claimed to have seen phantom candlelight emanating from the storefront.

They are convinced it is the spirit of Mr. Doan, as they never seen nearby cars when the candlelight is visible.

3) Rath City – Stonewall County, TX

Rath City was established during the fall of 1876.

The town was built around one primary occupation: hunting and selling buffalo hides.

These days, there’s not a lot to see here besides the historical marker, pictured above.

For three years Rath City prospered, until the buffalo became extinct in the area forcing settlers to move on.

The ghost town is open to visitors once a month and many have said they can still smell the stench of buffalo carcasses in the air.

Others claim that if you walk outside the perimeter of town, you can hear the ghostly chants of Indian tribes who often attacked the settlement.

2) The Grove – Coryell County, TX

Named after the surrounding trees, The Grove became a town during the 1870s.

Built around farming and livestock, the town slowly declined when a state highway was built during the 1940s.

Today, many buildings have been restored and receive visitors.

Those who come to the town report having nightmares about a little orphan boy who was left in town by accident when the last settlers disbanded.

Those who have experienced these nightmares watch in horror as the boy wanders around town, crying and alone.

1) Longfellow – Pecos County, TX

In 1881, Mexican ranchers settled into the area and started the town of Longfellow.

The town was used as a shipping point for livestock due to a nearby railroad.

However, in 1944 diesel locomotives and dried up water facilities rendered the town obsolete.

Today a handful of visitors have claimed to have seen full bodied apparitions scattered around town, wandering Longfellow in a desperate search for water.

Many warn that severe dehydration kicks in if visitors stay in the town too long.

Conclusion

Ghost towns stand as testament to the success and failures of our nation.

But as many explore these abandoned buildings and farms, it’s sometimes easy to forget that these were once homes—and some spirits have simply never left.