Ben Ficklin, Texas facts for kids

Ben Ficklin, Texas, was once a busy town that is now a ghost town. It used to be the main town, or county seat, for Tom Green County from 1875 to 1882. You could find it about 5 miles (8 km) south of Fort Concho, right by the South Concho River.

History of Ben Ficklin

In 1868, a man named Major Benjamin F. Ficklin bought a large piece of land (about 640 acres) near the South Concho River. This land was close to a spring that supplied drinking water to Fort Concho. Major Ficklin built his main office there for his mail delivery service, which ran between San Antonio and El Paso.

Francis Corbett Taylor, a good friend of Ficklin, moved from Alabama to manage the mail station. After Major Ficklin passed away suddenly in 1871, Taylor continued to run the successful stagecoach line.

In 1873, Taylor, along with William Stephen Kelly and Charles B. Metcalfe, planned out a new town about a mile up the river. They named it Ben Ficklin to honor Major Ficklin. Kelly, who was also from Alabama, built the very first house in the new town. A post office opened in Ben Ficklin on August 27, 1873.

Taylor and Kelly were important people chosen to help set up Tom Green County in 1874. In January 1875, they successfully campaigned to make Ben Ficklin the county seat. This was a big win, as they were competing against San Angela (which is now San Angelo). Taylor had a lot of support from stagecoach workers, officers from Fort Concho, local ranchers, and many business people and families who had moved to the new town.

Ben Ficklin's first courthouse was given to the town by Taylor and Sheriff James Spears. There was also an adobe building used as a school, and land was set aside for future church buildings. Soon, three stores and a hotel were built. About 600 people lived in Ben Ficklin when Taylor died in 1879. A new, two-story stone courthouse was finished in February 1882.

The Ben Ficklin Flood

On the night of August 23, 1882, very heavy rains caused Dove Creek, Spring Creek, the Middle Concho River, and the South Concho River to overflow. These rivers were already high because of a very wet summer. Their combined waters rushed down on Ben Ficklin on the morning of August 24, and the town was completely destroyed.

On the flat ground, only the courthouse, the jail, and two houses were left standing. Up on the hill, fifteen houses and the schoolhouse remained. Sadly, sixty-five people drowned in the flood.

After the flood, the county offices and the post office were moved to San Angela. San Angela then became the new county seat in 1883 and was renamed San Angelo. Some people who survived the flood moved to a place called Sherwood, while others found jobs and free places to live in San Angelo.

Even after the flood, two families continued to live in Ben Ficklin for many years. It remained a popular spot for swimming and picnics. The Ben Ficklin cemetery, located on a hill, holds the graves of many flood victims. It also contains the graves of F. C. Taylor and his wife, whose coffins were moved there after the flood. In 1965, the Texas Historical Commission placed a special marker at the townsite to remember Ben Ficklin.