Lemonville, Texas
Encyclopedia
Lemonville is a ghost town
that was the site of the Lemon Lumber Company in northern Orange County
, Texas
, United States
, in the southeastern part of the state. Sometimes referred to as Lemon, it is located north of Orange
and just east of Mauriceville
. The town plat was filed in 1901 by a man named William Manuel, with the location chosen for its proximity to the tracks of the Kansas City Southern Railroad.
In 1902, when the population was about 300, a post office was established, with Cornelius P. Ryan as first postmaster.
As of 1900 the mill had a capacity of 30,000 feet per day. The lumber baron Alexander Gilmer
purchased the mill in 1904, and by the following year production was increased to 100,000 feet per day with the addition of new equipment.
After Gilmer’s death in 1906, the sawmills at Lemonville were owned and operated by others, including the Miller-Link and Peavy-Moore lumber companies.
As the nearby lumber eventually became depleted, and as lumber prices fell, the operators eventually abandoned the site. The Lemonville post office was officially closed in 1928.
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...
that was the site of the Lemon Lumber Company in northern Orange County
Orange County, Texas
Orange County is one of 254 counties of the State of Texas and its county seat is the city of Orange, Texas. In the year 2000, the population of Orange County was about 85,000. Orange County is the county in the very southeastern corner of Texas, with a boundary with Louisiana and a seacoast on the...
, 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...
, in the southeastern part of the state. Sometimes referred to as Lemon, it is located north of Orange
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
and just east of Mauriceville
Mauriceville, Texas
Mauriceville is a census-designated place in Orange County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,743 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. The town plat was filed in 1901 by a man named William Manuel, with the location chosen for its proximity to the tracks of the Kansas City Southern Railroad.
In 1902, when the population was about 300, a post office was established, with Cornelius P. Ryan as first postmaster.
As of 1900 the mill had a capacity of 30,000 feet per day. The lumber baron Alexander Gilmer
Alexander Gilmer
Alexander Gilmer was a sawmiller that became one of the United States’ most successful individual timberland owners in his era....
purchased the mill in 1904, and by the following year production was increased to 100,000 feet per day with the addition of new equipment.
After Gilmer’s death in 1906, the sawmills at Lemonville were owned and operated by others, including the Miller-Link and Peavy-Moore lumber companies.
As the nearby lumber eventually became depleted, and as lumber prices fell, the operators eventually abandoned the site. The Lemonville post office was officially closed in 1928.