Dabney, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dabney
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Ghost town
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 Dabney, Texas
Location in Texas
Dabney, Texas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Uvalde |
| Elevation | 1,060 ft (320 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1379629 |
Dabney (also known as Whitesmine) is a former mining community in Uvalde County, Texas, United States. It is now considered a ghost town. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, and buildings are often empty.
Dabney is located in the southwestern part of Uvalde County. It sits about 19 miles (31 km) west-southwest of the city of Uvalde. You can find it at the very end of Ranch to Market Road 1022.
Contents
The Story of Dabney
Dabney began as a place where people dug for asphalt. Asphalt is a sticky, black material used to make roads.
Early Mining Days
The first asphalt mine in Dabney opened in 1888. A few years later, in 1891, a man named J. G. Smyth bought the land where the mine was. The mine stopped working in 1900.
Reopening the Mine
The mine stayed closed for a while. Then, around 1923, a person named R. L. White started it up again. He leased the land from the Smyth family.
Life in the Town
Even though it was a small mining town, Dabney had a school. In 1906, there were 31 students learning there. This shows that families lived in Dabney during its active years.
Challenges and Changes
In 1941, R. L. White tried to close the mine. He wanted to remove the last of the asphalt without paying the ranch owners. The owners disagreed and took the issue to court. The Texas Supreme Court made a final decision in 1947, ruling against White.
By this time, most of the houses in Dabney were empty. Only one house was still lived in. However, the number of people living there grew to 25 by 1966. In 1988, Dabney had about 30 people, two mines, and one business.
Modern Times
In 1990, a company called Vulcan Materials Company took over the mines. At that time, the mine operators said that no one lived in Dabney anymore. This is why it is now known as a ghost town.
