Damsite Texas, Hardeman County ghost town. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

In 1906, The Rice Brothers of Houston with local investors bought land in the area and planned to impound Wanderer's Creek to provide irrigation. The company was registered as the Hardeman County Irrigation Company and if their figures were correct - they could irrigate 10,000 acres of land.

The town of Damsite was planned to be the center of activities and streets were platted before the dam was built. A dam was built at a cost of $75,000 and the project was successful until the death of the operating manager in 1916. The other investors lost interest and the land was put up for sale.

West Texas Utilities bought the land and installed a power plant. The lake itself was known as Damsite until a resort developer renamed it after his daughter.

Hardeman County 1907 postal map showing Damsite
From Texas state map #2090
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

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