Elizabethtown, Texas
Encyclopedia
Elizabethtown, once known as Bugtown, is a ghost town
located about fifteen miles southwest of Denton
in Denton County
, Texas
, United States
. The town derived its original name from the adjacent Elizabeth Creek.
. The town founders, the Harmonsons, constructed a church, homes, a business, and a school. At its height the school had 25 students. In 1859 the town had six saloons, a hotel and a post office, a staple of all true towns. According to residents of nearby Justin, Texas
, Elizabethtown was once known as Bugtown because one night bugs had swarmed in on a camp meeting
and arrived in such great numbers that it caused the preaching to be stopped.
During the American Civil War
the frontier in and west of Denton County
remained undefended against Indian raids, many families moved east during this time period. Later, though, many did return. As the town grew it gained four general stores, another hotel and a livery stable, along with Baptist
and Methodist churches, and a Masonic lodge
that operated from 1873 to 1876.
, which was built in 1881 from Fort Worth through Denton County, bypassed Elizabethtown by just two miles. Due to this many residents moved two miles to the east to the newly established town of Roanoke
, along with their businesses, churches and the Masonic lodge. The only remains of the first town in southwest Denton County are in the form of the Elizabeth Cemetery, which is still in use today.
The former town was located near Interstate 35
at State Highway 114.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
located about fifteen miles southwest of Denton
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
in Denton County
Denton County, Texas
Denton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 432,976; in 2009 the estimated population had reached 628,300. Part of the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex, it is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. The county seat is Denton. The county...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town derived its original name from the adjacent Elizabeth Creek.
History
The town site was located in the southwest corner of Shamblen Survey. Its first residents, members of the Peters Colony arrived circa 1850. Elizabethtown served a supply station in 1852, mostly for cowboys driving their herds to KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. The town founders, the Harmonsons, constructed a church, homes, a business, and a school. At its height the school had 25 students. In 1859 the town had six saloons, a hotel and a post office, a staple of all true towns. According to residents of nearby Justin, Texas
Justin, Texas
Justin is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,891 at the 2005 census.-History:In 1848, approximately 70 followers of the French utopian socialist Etienne Cabet arrived in what is now Justin to found an Icarian community. The attempt failed.Contrary to popular belief,...
, Elizabethtown was once known as Bugtown because one night bugs had swarmed in on a camp meeting
Camp meeting
The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
and arrived in such great numbers that it caused the preaching to be stopped.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
the frontier in and west of Denton County
Denton County, Texas
Denton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 432,976; in 2009 the estimated population had reached 628,300. Part of the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex, it is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. The county seat is Denton. The county...
remained undefended against Indian raids, many families moved east during this time period. Later, though, many did return. As the town grew it gained four general stores, another hotel and a livery stable, along with Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and Methodist churches, and a Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
that operated from 1873 to 1876.
Prominent residents
- George Harper: doctor and postmaster
- M.H. Smith: blacksmith
- Newton Chance: blacksmith
- Amos Bullard: blacksmith
- Sewell Brown: merchant
- James Snyder: wagonmaker
- Robert Wright: carpenter
Decline
The last Denton County taxroll that Elizabethtown appears on is the 1880 roll. The Texas and Pacific RailwayTexas and Pacific Railway
The Texas and Pacific Railway Company was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California....
, which was built in 1881 from Fort Worth through Denton County, bypassed Elizabethtown by just two miles. Due to this many residents moved two miles to the east to the newly established town of Roanoke
Roanoke, Texas
Roanoke is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States and part of the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. The population is currently 7,900.The main east-west road through town, State Highway 114 Business, is named "Byron Nelson Boulevard" in honor of the legendary golfer who resided in the community...
, along with their businesses, churches and the Masonic lodge. The only remains of the first town in southwest Denton County are in the form of the Elizabeth Cemetery, which is still in use today.
Geography
The town is located by the Elizabeth Creek.The former town was located near Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
at State Highway 114.