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LAGARTO,
TEXAS
South Texas Ghost
Town
Live Oak County
Farm Roads 534 and 3162
18 miles SE of George West
18 miles W of Mathis
Population:
Est. 80 (2000)
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Lagarto former
school circa 1925
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson December 2006 |
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The
drinking fountain of the old school
TE Photo, February, 2006 |
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History
in a Pecan Shell
Once called Roughtown, the name was changed after residents formed
a vigilance committee, closed saloons and prohibited the selling of
liquor within a two-mile radius of the town. The current name is said
to be Spanish for "alligator" and it is presumed that the area was
once rife with the reptiles. An earlier Mexican village was reported
in the mid-1830s but as ranchers moved in, the population faded away.
A town was platted by John W. Ramey in the 1850s and by 1866 it was
a thriving town with a population of 500. A post office was granted
in 1874 with the slightly different spelling of Lagarta and Lagarto
College opened in 1884. The population dropped to 350 by 1875 but
the town had since added a newspaper, gristmill and hotel. In 1906
Lagarto had two schools with a combined enrollment of 29 students
taught by 2 teachers. The town was later (1888) bypassed by the San
Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway and within two years Lagarto was
in decline. |
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The
historical marker at Lagarto (Click on photo for marker close-up)
TE Photo, February, 2006 |
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First the college
closed and from a population of 200 in 1892 it shrank to just 75 by
1914. By 1936 Lagarto had 100 residents, two schools, a church, a
business, and scattered dwellings. Local schools merged with schools
in George West after WWII. In 1959 with the construction of Lake Corpus
Christi, Lagarto was given a reprieve, although the population is
still estimated at only 80 residents.
The 1925 school is still in use as a community center (look for the
signs on the W side of FM 534). |
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A
former residence
TE Photo, February, 2006 |
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Lagarto
Texas Forum
Lagarto
Not a Ghost
I would suggest you visit Lagarto, Texas before telling the world
that it is a ghost town. I live within two miles of the Lagarto
highway marker, and I'm not a ghost and neither are the estimated
700 residents of the area. In a way, I'm glad you call it a ghost
town. That way, no one will bother us here. Certainly, and gladly,
it is no longer an incorporated town and no longer has its own post
office, thank goodness! Thank goodness folks like you have no idea
what's here!! - Penny Peavy, Lagarto, Texas, December 08, 2006
Anyone wishing to share stories, memories or photos of Lagarto,
Texas, please contact
us.
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