GORDON, TEXAS

Palo Pinto County, Panhandle / Central Texas North

32°32'39"N 98°21'58"W (32.544121, -98.365978)
Highway 193 and FM 919
S of Palo Pinto the county seat
3.3 miles E of Mingus
20 miles SW of Mineral Wells
30 miles NE of Eastland
60 miles W of Fort Worth
Population: 467 Est. (2016)
478 (2010) 451 (2000) 465 (1990)

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Downtown Gordon
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April, 2006

History in a Pecan Shell

Named for Texas and Pacific Railroad engineer H. L. Gordon, in 1880, the town got off to a good start by inheriting the population of nearby Hampton, Texas when that town was bypassed. A post office was granted in 1883.

In January of 1887 a train robbery netted Rube Burrow over $4000 from the railway express car. By 1926 Gordon was thriving with a population estimated at 650. As Thurber declined, Gordon prospered. By 1940 the population was just over 500. It reached a low in the late 1960s of 358 but increased to 465 in 1990.

Delightful Detour by Billy B. Smith

"The sixteen-mile delightful detour [through Gordon, Mingus and Strawn] reminds me that there once was another America, a wistful place full of pleasant and pensive scenery..." more

Ghost sign
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April, 2006
More Ghost Signs

Another view of Downtown Gordon
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April, 2006

Gordon Post Office, TX 76453
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, April, 2006

Delightful Detour by Billy B. Smith

"The sixteen-mile delightful detour [through Gordon, Mingus and Strawn] reminds me that there once was another America, a wistful place full of pleasant and pensive scenery..." more

Take a road trip

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