McGirk, Texas explained

McGirk, Texas
Settlement Type:Ghost town
Pushpin Map:Texas#USA
Pushpin Label:McGirk
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Texas
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Hamilton
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2000
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Coordinates:31.5181°N -98.3314°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID

McGirk is a ghost town located in Hamilton County near the Lampasas River in Central Texas, United States. Founded in the early 1870s, the town acquired a post office in 1882. John A. McGirk, the town's namesake, also served as the first postmaster. A steam-operated cotton gin on the Lampasas River remained in place for many years. The post office closed by 1920 and the school was gone by the mid-1930s. The town still had a population of 25 in 1945, but post war opportunities drew off that meager number and the town became a ghost.

"There is only a little bit of information on this old town. The only thing that is left of it is an old cemetery and a school foundation off in the brush, that you wouldn't even notice if you didn't know it was there. This town was located on 1047 right on the Lampasas river between FM 2005 and Star at the far end of Hamilton county. From what I have gathered there once was a gas station and a whole community there. Now it is just a few farms and that old cemetery on the far corner of J. H. Joiner's (my grandfather) ranch." - Cody Morris, February 25, 2007

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