McGirk, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
McGirk, Texas
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 McGirk, Texas
Location in Texas
McGirk, Texas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Hamilton |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
McGirk is a ghost town located in Hamilton County, Texas. It is found near the Lampasas River in Central Texas, United States. A ghost town is a place where most or all people have left, and very little is left of the original settlement.
The Story of McGirk
McGirk started in the early 1870s. It got its own post office in 1882. The town was named after John A. McGirk, who was also the first person to run the post office.
For many years, there was a special machine called a steam-operated cotton gin near the Lampasas River. This machine helped process cotton grown by local farmers.
Why McGirk Became a Ghost Town
Over time, people started to leave McGirk. The post office closed by 1920. The school was also gone by the mid-1930s.
In 1945, only 25 people still lived in McGirk. After World War II, many people moved away to find better jobs. This caused the town to become a ghost town.
What's Left Today
Today, there is not much left of McGirk. You can find an old cemetery and the foundation of a school building hidden in the brush. These are the only signs that a community once thrived there.
The town was located on Highway 1047, right by the Lampasas River. It was between FM 2005 and Star, at the far end of Hamilton County. A local resident, Cody Morris, shared in 2007 that his grandfather's ranch now covers part of the area where McGirk once stood. He mentioned that there used to be a gas station and a whole community there. Now, it is mostly farms and the old cemetery.
