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GIBTOWN, TEXAS
North Texas Ghost
Town
Jack County
FM 2210 just S of Highway 199
22 Miles SE oof Jacksboro
Population:
0
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Gibtown store
Photo courtesy Elwin Jensen, March 2007 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Original settlement in the region was loose and went by the name New
Hope City until the 1870s. A townsite was platted in the early 1889s
and its location in the corner of the county made it a commercial
center for Jack, Wise and Parker Counties. Gibsons success reached
the point where it rivaled the county seat - or at least some people
thought so.
Gibtown had a population of 400 in 1896, but when it was bypassed
by the railroad in 1898 - hopes were dashed. Businesses and citizens
were drawn to Jacksboro and the
town went into a decline. The post office closed in the 1920s and
the population figure was listed as 25 from the early 50s through
the 60s - thereafter no one bothered to take the census. Gibtown remains
on the TxDoT county map for Jack County. Ebenezer Cemetery is 2.5
miles west. |
| Gibtown Baptist
Church & Cemetery |
Gibtown Cemetery
Photos courtesy Elwin Jensen, March 2007 |
Gibtown's
inclusion was suggested by Joe Meyers who sent in a photo of a trade
token that he had discovered at the old site of Gibson.
His letter: "A few years ago I was metal detecting at Gibtown, Texas
in Jack County [and] found a token from the A.B. Kerr and Sons store
in Muldoon, Texas.
It sure would be a great story on how the token made the 300 mile
trip from Muldoon to Gibtown. Probably by horse and wagon. - Joe
Meyers, July 2006 |
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A.B.
Kerr and Son Token (front and back) from Muldoon
Photos courtesy Joe Meyers |
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