Kelsey, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kelsey
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 Kelsey, Texas
Location in Texas
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Texas |
| County | Upshur |
Kelsey is a place in Upshur County, Texas, USA. It was once a busy community, but now it's a ghost town. Kelsey was special because it was the longest-lasting settlement in Texas started by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. People even called it the "mother colony" for these settlements in Texas.
Contents
The Story of Kelsey: A Texas Ghost Town
How Kelsey Began
The story of Kelsey started in 1898. A man named John Edgar bought land in Upshur County. He had tried to settle in Mesa, Arizona, but it didn't work out. This land he bought would soon become the town of Kelsey.
By 1901, nine families from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had moved to Kelsey. On August 4, 1901, they started a Sunday School there. That same year, James G. Duffin, who was a leader for the church's mission in the Southwest, got permission to help build up this new settlement. In 1902, another church leader, Abraham O. Woodruff, helped Duffin plan out the town of Kelsey.
Growing Pains and Progress
A post office opened in Kelsey in 1902, making it easier for people to send and receive mail. By 1906, about 400 people lived in Kelsey. The town was growing!
In 1907, the Kelsey School District was created. This meant kids in Kelsey had their own schools. A two-story brick schoolhouse was built in 1911. Later, in 1929, the first gymnasium in East Texas was finished in Kelsey. It was named Bennion Hall, after a church mission president named Samuel O. Bennion.
Peak Population and the Railway
By 1910, Kelsey's population had grown to 527 people. The town kept getting bigger, and in 1923, it reached its highest population with 750 residents. Families moved to Kelsey from all over the southern United States, and sometimes even from other parts of the country.
Kelsey was also an important stop on the Marshall and East Texas Railway. The railroad even built a special branch line to Kelsey. This helped the town's farmers ship their crops, like strawberries, cantaloupes, and corn, to other places.
The Decline of Kelsey
During the 1930s, Kelsey farmers helped feed the oil workers in nearby towns like Kilgore and Gladewater, Texas. However, changes began to happen. In 1943, the school in Kelsey closed down. After that, students had to ride buses to Gilmer, Texas for school. In 1951, a new church building was constructed in Kelsey, showing that some community spirit remained. But over time, Kelsey became a ghost town.
