TexasEscapes.com HOME Welcome to Texas Escapes
A magazine written by Texas
Custom Search
New   |   Texas Towns   |   Ghost Towns   |   Counties   |   Trips   |   Features   |   Columns   |   Architecture   |   Images   |   Archives   |   Site Map

Terry County TX
Terry County

Counties
Texas Counties


Texas Towns
A - Z

Brownfield Hotels

\

GOMEZ, TEXAS

Two Ghosts - One Name
Old Gomez and "New" Gomez

Texas Ghost Town
Terry County, Texas Panhandle / West Texas

U.S. Highways 82 and 380
W of Brownfield the county seat
45 Miles SW of Lubbock
Population: 0 and 12

Gomez Area Hotels › Lubbock Hotels | Brownfield Hotels

 Gomez TX - Gomez Cemetery
Gomez Cemetery
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2013

History in a Pecan Shell

It wasn’t until 1902 that the community of Gomez became the first settlement in Terry County. Trying to comply with state mandates, the three founders (none of whom were named Gomez) attempted to built their town in the geographic center of Terry County.

A post office opened in 1903. The men (Pool, Blankenship and Ford) couldn’t decide on a name for the town so they left that up to postal authorities in Washington who honored Máximo Gómez, a Cuban hero of the (then) recent Spanish-American War.

Stores were built, a well was drilled on the town square and hopes were high that Gomez would become “the Metropolis of the Plains” or at the very least, the Terry county seat.

By 1904, Gomez had everything they needed, but in an election that year, the community was outvoted by just three votes. Brownfield won the election although the momentum Gomez had had kept it growing for a few more years. People started gravitating to Brownfield around 1910 and in 1917 the final blow came in the form of an arriving railroad. The South Plains and Santa Fe Railroad came to Brownfield and by 1918, Gomez was a ghost and the land reclaimed for agriculture.

But a “New” Gomez came into being – just a mile from “Old” Gomez. Only the cemetery of Old Gomez is left. New Gomez reported a population of 75 in the late 1920s. It remains a community – but barely. Except for the history, there is now no distinction of Old or New Gomez. Just Gomez, Texas – a town that was named for a Cuban General and came within three votes of being the county seat.


Photographer's Note:
"The Gomez Cemetery and marker are located about 5 miles west of Brownfield on CR 345 about 1/4 mile south of US 380." - Barclay Gibson

TX - Gomez Cemetery Historical Marker

Gomez Cemetery historical marker
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2013
More Texas cemeteries


Historical Marker:

Gomez Cemetery

Established in 1902 in Gomez (then 0.5 mi. W of here), first settlement in Terry County. Original 4-acre tract was deeded to Gomez School trustees in 1906 by pioneer settler H. F. Adams. Some of earliest settlers are buried here. Many graves were moved to Brownfield in 1918.
(1970)

Terry County Texas 1907 Postal Map
Terry County 1907 Postal Map showng Gomez
(Above "E" in TERRY. West of Brownfield)
From Texas state map #2090
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

Take a road trip

Texas Panhandle / West Texas

Brownfield, Texas Nearby Towns:
Brownfield | Lubbock | Tahoka | Plains

Terry County

Texas Ghost Towns

Book Hotel Here:
Brownfield Hotels | More Hotels

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.


Texas Escapes Online Magazine »   Archive Issues » Home »
TEXAS TOWNS & COUNTIES TEXAS LANDMARKS & IMAGES TEXAS HISTORY & CULTURE TEXAS OUTDOORS MORE
Texas Counties
Texas Towns A-Z
Texas Ghost Towns

TEXAS REGIONS:
Central Texas North
Central Texas South
Texas Gulf Coast
Texas Panhandle
Texas Hill Country
East Texas
South Texas
West Texas

Courthouses
Jails
Churches
Schoolhouses
Bridges
Theaters
Depots
Rooms with a Past
Monuments
Statues

Gas Stations
Post Offices
Museums
Water Towers
Grain Elevators
Cotton Gins
Lodges
Stores
Banks

Vintage Photos
Historic Trees
Cemeteries
Old Neon
Ghost Signs
Signs
Murals
Gargoyles
Pitted Dates
Cornerstones
Then & Now

Columns: History/Opinion
Texas History
Small Town Sagas
Black History
WWII
Texas Centennial
Ghosts
People
Animals
Food
Music
Art

Books
Cotton
Texas Railroads

Texas Trips
Texas Drives
Texas State Parks
Texas Rivers
Texas Lakes
Texas Forts
Texas Trails
Texas Maps
USA
MEXICO
HOTELS

Site Map
About Us
Privacy Statement
Disclaimer
Contributors
Staff
Contact Us

 
Website Content Copyright Texas Escapes LLC. All Rights Reserved