Vineyard, Texas, a town in Jack County. (original) (raw)

"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.

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.