Morris Ranch, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Morris Ranch, Texas
|
|
|---|---|
The old Morris Ranch Hotel
|
|
 Morris Ranch, Texas
Location in Texas
Morris Ranch, Texas
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Gillespie |
| Elevation | 1,742 ft (531 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 830 |
| FIPS code | 48 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1341940 |
Morris Ranch is a ghost town in Gillespie County, Texas. It is located about 8.5 miles southwest of Fredericksburg. A "ghost town" is a place where most people have left, leaving behind empty buildings. This area started as a large ranch for breeding horses in 1856. A small town grew up around the ranch. The Morris Ranch School closed in 1962. Its building is now a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Morris Ranch: A Horse Breeding Hub
Starting a Horse Ranch
In 1856, a man named Francis Morris from New York City bought a huge piece of land. It was about 23,000 acres in Gillespie and Kerr counties. He paid only twenty-five cents for each acre. Later, he sold some of the land, keeping 16,000 acres.
Francis Morris hired his nephew, Charles Morris, to manage the ranch. Charles was in charge of breeding thoroughbred horses there. Thoroughbreds are a special type of horse known for racing. Charles managed the ranch until 1910.
Growing the Ranch into a Community
Francis Morris passed away in 1886. His son, John A. Morris, took over the ranch. John spent a lot of money, about $500,000, to improve the property. He turned it into a community focused on raising thoroughbred horses.
New buildings were added to the ranch. These included a hotel for important guests, a general store, and a post office. There was also a school, a cotton gin (a machine that separates cotton fibers), and a flour mill. About 200 female horses (mares) and ten male horses (stallions) lived at the ranch. Young horses were either sold or kept at Morris stables in Maryland.
Next to the ranch, there was a racetrack. There were also places for jockeys (horse riders) to live. A famous horse trainer named Max Hirsch started his career here. He is now in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
The Decline of Horse Racing
In the 1890s, new laws were passed in New Jersey against gambling. More laws followed in New York in 1908. These laws made horse racing less popular. Because of this, the horse breeding business at Morris Ranch also started to decline.
After John A. Morris, his sons Alfred and David inherited the ranch. Later, Alfred's son, Captain John A. Morris, took ownership.
The Town of Morris Ranch
From Ranch to Farms
Clayton Morris took over as manager after Charles Morris. In 1902, Clayton sold the horses. He then divided the large ranch into smaller farms. These farms were rented out to people who grew cotton.
Clayton's son, Reginald Morris, later inherited the ranch. However, the area was no longer a busy place. Many of the original buildings were still standing in the year 2000. But the number of people living there started to drop after the ranch was divided. By 1968, almost no one was listed as living in Morris Ranch.
The Post Office and Its Closing
The Morris Ranch post office opened in 1893. Guy D. Anderson was the first postmaster. Charles Morris became postmaster in 1894, and then Clayton Morris took over in 1910. Clayton Morris was the postmaster until 1954. That year, the Morris Ranch store closed, and the post office closed with it.
Climate in Morris Ranch
The weather in this area has hot and humid summers. Winters are usually mild to cool. Morris Ranch has a climate known as a humid subtropical climate. This means it gets a good amount of rain throughout the year.
