Shanghai, Texas, Wharton County ghost town. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Established in 1899

Located on a spur from the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway in 1899, Shanghai was planned to become an actual town like Pierce's Station (later Pierce, Texas). Abel H. "Shanghai" Pierce had contracted with the state of Texas for convicts to clear the land for the proposed town. The spur was built to bring in supplies and men.

Although a cotton gin was built and prisoner's quarters erected, Shanghai and another planned town named Borden (after Pierce's nephew) never really got much beyond the planning stage.

Wharton County 1920s map showing Shanghai just W of Wharton
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy Texas General Land Office

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