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CRAFTON,
TEXASWise County,
North
Central Texas
FM 2127
2 Miles E of the Jack County Line
Population: 20 (2000)
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History in a Pecan
Shell
After
the Civil War, returning Texans allowed for the removal of the Comanche Indians
who had previously prevented settlement.
In the late 1870s a post office
opened. Resident land owner George R. Craft had either donated or sold a part
of his holdings in 1883 so that a town could be planned. The community was named
Crafton.
Although it was not on the Butterfield Overland Mail route, it
was within a mile. In 1890 the community had a population of 200 and most essential
businesses.
The town was struck by a tornado in 1909 causing great damage
and demolishing the community’s three churches.
The town rebuilt, but
without a railroad and with
the cotton economy hit by low prices, growth
was not to be in Crafton’s future. The writing was on the wall when the post office
closed in 1917. The population was less than half of the 1890 figures by the mid
1920s.
The 1950 Census reported a mere 50 residents which has since declined
to a mere 20. | |
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