Desdemona, Texas facts for kids
Desdemona is a small place in Eastland County, Texas. It's east of Abilene in West Texas. This community was once a busy oil town, but now it's almost a ghost town. It sits on Texas State Highway 16, about twenty miles southeast of Eastland.
From Hogtown to Desdemona
Desdemona started way back in 1857. It was one of the first towns built west of the Brazos River in Texas. Early settlers built a small fort to protect themselves from Comanche Native Americans.
In 1873, the Rockdale Baptist Church was built. This was the first organization of its kind in Eastland County. A few years later, brothers William and Ben Funderburg bought the land where the fort had been. They started to develop the community. At first, it was called Hogtown because it was on Hog Creek.
In 1877, the town got its own post office. The name was changed to "Desdemona." This name wasn't from a character in Shakespeare's plays. It was actually named after the daughter of a local judge. In the 1890s, farming was very important in Desdemona, especially growing peanuts. By 1904, about 340 people lived there.
The Oil Boom
In 1914, a businessman named J.W. "Shorty" Carruth tried to find oil. He drilled a well, but it didn't produce much. He tried to sell shares in his oil company.
Then, in September 1918, something big happened. Tom Dees, who led the Hog Creek Oil Company, found a lot of oil on land owned by Joe Duke. Desdemona quickly became a busy oil boomtown!
Many people rushed to Desdemona between 1919 and 1922. As many as sixteen thousand people came to live there. The oil field in Desdemona was one of the biggest at the time. People who owned shares in the Hog Creek Oil Company became very rich. A $100 share could be sold for over $10,000!
But with so many people, the town faced challenges. Heavy rains caused floods in the streets. There were also health problems like Influenza and typhoid fever spreading.
Becoming a Ghost Town
The oil boom didn't last long. Oil production quickly dropped. In 1919, over seven million barrels of oil were produced. By 1921, it was less than three million. Many people who had moved to Desdemona left as quickly as they came.
In 1921, a fire destroyed a whole block of buildings. The Lone Star Hotel also burned down. With fewer people, Desdemona's town government was ended in 1936. Since then, Eastland County has governed the area.
A public school for grades 1-12 was built in Desdemona in 1922. It was made bigger in 1937. But because there weren't enough students, it closed in 1969.
Even in 1976, some oil and natural gas wells were still working in the Desdemona area. A Mobil plant was also making butane. In 1980 and again in 2000, about 180 people were reported to live in Desdemona. By 2013, only three businesses remained in the town.
Images for kids
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First Baptist Church
