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"Not
much to Vineyard but a road sign."
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, August 2013 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
Present-day Vineyard
is the second town in Jack
County to use the name. The first (sometimes referred to as “Old
Vineyard") was founded in the 1880s by a man named George
Washington Vineyard.
The water on Mr. Vineyard’s property was too harsh for drinking, but
it cured several of Mr. Vineyard’s ailments (or so he said). The town
received a post office under the name Vineyard in 1882 but after word
started spreading of the curative properties of the water, the name
of the post office was changed to Wizard
Wells, Texas (1915).
In 1899 when the Chicago, Rock Island and Texas Railroad built from
Bridgeport to Jacksboro
it came within two miles of “Old Vineyard.” A new town grew around
the tracks and the name Vineyard was reemployed.
Vineyard became a shipping point for area farmers and ranchers. By
the mid 1920s, Vineyard’s population was just over 200 and the town
was doing well. Prior to being hit by the Great Depression, Vineyard
had several businesses and a brick schoolhouse.
But the Great Depression hit and then WWII.
After the war, people left in search of new jobs and the population
shrank accordingly. By the 1950s only 40 residents were reported.
It has remained more or less at that level ever since. |
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| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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