Lemonville, Texas facts for kids

Lemonville is what we call a ghost town in northern Orange County, Texas. A ghost town is a place where people used to live and work, but now almost no one does. Lemonville was once a busy place because of the Lemon Lumber Company.

This town was sometimes just called Lemon. It is located north of the city of Orange and a bit east of Mauriceville. A man named William Manuel officially planned the town in 1901. He chose this spot because it was close to the tracks of the Kansas City Southern Railroad, which was perfect for moving lumber.

What Was Lemonville?

Lemonville was a community built around a large lumber mill. This mill helped cut down trees and turn them into wood for building. The town's location near the railroad was very important. It made it easy to transport the lumber to other places.

Early Days and Growth

In 1902, just a year after the town was planned, about 300 people lived in Lemonville. This shows how quickly the town grew because of the lumber business. A post office was also opened that year. Cornelius P. Ryan was the very first postmaster, which means he was in charge of the mail.

The Busy Lumber Mill

The lumber mill in Lemonville was very productive. In 1900, it could process about 30,000 feet of lumber every single day. That's a lot of wood!

Who Owned the Mill?

In 1904, a powerful businessman named Alexander Gilmer bought the mill. He was known as a "lumber baron" because he owned many lumber businesses. After he bought the mill, he added new machines. By the next year, 1905, the mill's production jumped to an amazing 100,000 feet of lumber per day!

Alexander Gilmer passed away in 1906. After that, other companies took over the sawmills in Lemonville. These included the Miller-Link and Peavy-Moore lumber companies. They continued the work of cutting and processing wood.

Why Lemonville Disappeared

Like many towns that depend on one industry, Lemonville faced challenges. Over time, most of the trees nearby were cut down. This meant there was less lumber for the mill to process. Also, the price of lumber started to fall.

Because of these problems, the lumber companies eventually left Lemonville. The town's post office officially closed in 1928. Without the main business and people moving away, Lemonville became the ghost town it is today.