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History in
a Pecan Shell
The town was named
for Henry Sanford Boydston, the first settler here. Mr. Boydston donated
land for the town cemetery. - which remains in place.
A post office was granted in the early 1890s about the same time the
Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad arrived. Although the fledgling
town was technically in Donley
County at first, the railroad's siding was built opposite the
post office. In time, the post office moved to the Gray
County side of the tracks.
The tiny community acquired a general store sometime between its founding
and 1910. Population figures aren't available for the 1920s, but the
1930 census reported a mere ten residents- served by the single store.
In 1941 Boydston's population had swelled to forty and another business
had opened. The population remained there through the mid 1960s.
Mail was rerouted through Groom in the
1940s and what faint hopes the community had for survival came to
an end with the completion of I-40, which bypassed the town.
Even the railroad pulled out in 1980, leaving two abandoned grain
elevators and the community cemetery to mark what once was Boydston,
Texas.
Boydston was suggested for inclusion by Don Elliot, a direct descendant
of Henry Boydston. |
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Gray
County 1907 postal map showing Boydston
From Texas state map #2090
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
Boydston,
Texas Forum
Subject:
The now defunct town of Boydston
I don't remember any of the dates about the town, but it was named
for my great-grandfather Henry Boydston who donated land for the
cemetery. All that is left there is the cemetery. One particularly
sad note from the cemetery is the line of graves there of children
that died soon after birth and then at the end of that line is the
mother who died soon after giving birth. - Don Elliott, August 20,
2015
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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