Elizabethtown, Texas. (original) (raw)

The town was submitted by Stephen G. Masten who wrote:
�I know it was roughly near the site of the Renaissance Fair that died in the 1990's. It was just SE of FM 114 and I-35W. It is currently being built over.� - July 25, 2014

History in a Pecan Shell

The town had been named after Elizabeth Creek and was on the northern bank of the stream. It is said to have been the first town in southwest Denton County. Members of the Peters Colony settled here in the 1850s and the community became a stopping point for cattle drives on the way north to Kansas railheads.

The Harmonson family is credited with being the founders of the community since they donated land for civic purposes. In 1859 the town had six saloons, reflecting the fact that it catered to Kansas-bound cowboys.

Elizabethtown also had a post office, hotel and physician. The town also had two blacksmiths (no waiting) and a wagonmaker.

The community was left defenseless against Indian attacks during the Civil War and most of the population temporarily left until the men returned.

At its peak in the 1870s, Elizabethtown had two churches, a school, and four general stores. The town was once refered to as �Bugtown� due to an infestation of insects that were drawn to a church meeting.

Although the Elizabeth Cemetery is still in use, the community was bypassed by two miles when the Texas and Pacific Railroad crossed Denton County in 1881.

Everything was moved to the newly created town of Roanoke, leaving Elizabethtown another ghost town with railroad bypass being the cause of death.