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THRIFT,
TEXAS
AKA
Newtown
A Red River
Ghost Town
Wichita County, Texas Panhandle / North Central Texas
Hwy 240 and FM 368
2 miles W of Burkburnett
16 miles NW of Wichita
Falls
Population:
0
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Little is left of Thrift. Even the historical marker has been noted
for being a “Good candidate for "Worst Condition" [of a historical
marker].
The marker reads:
Ghost Townsite, 1.25 miles north) "Newtown", or "Thrift", originated
about 1919 in the northwestern extension of the Burkburnett Oil Field.
Early in its existence it gained prestige by the founding of a bank--the
only one in the area at that time. Mostly a tent city, Thrift suffered
many fires. One of these, started by lightning striking an oil tank
in 1920, caused two deaths and wiped out much of the town. Thrift's
Post Office opened in 1925. After the population shrank to 30 in 1929,
the bank, a church, school, and store served people living at oil
field pump stations; but all of Thrift's buildings are now gone. |
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