The Grove, Texas: A Museum Ghost Town
What is a Museum Ghost Town?
Its an abandoned town that has been lovingly restored to what it was in its heydey. Welcome to the museum town of The Grove. Its been closed down for many years as it waited for a new owner to hopefully one day open it back up to the public. As of now, its a museum piece as much as it was once a museum.
Saloon and Blacksmith shop at The Grove, Texas
Main Street-The Grove Texas
The Grove was established sometime around 1859. Its name came from a grove of Live Oak trees near the center of the town. By the 1870’s the town boasted a post office, 2 general stores, a saloon, blacksmith shop and a sheriff’s office.
Inside the blacksmith shop at The Grove
A General Store at The Grove
When a major highway came through, The Grove was bypassed and by the late 1940’s. Several farmers were also forced to leave the surrounding farms due to the building of an Army training center at Fort Hood. This caused the population to further decline to the point where the post office was shut down. in 1946, The Grove owners, W. J. and Martha Dube (DOO-bee) sold the town to a man named John Graham who owned it until 1972, when Moody Anderson an antiques dealer, came to town one day and asked if it was for sale. Graham didn’t like the idea, but it was Graham’s daughter who talked him into selling it. For the next 38 years, Anderson packed the little town with antiques.
The Museum at The Grove in Texas.
Moody Anderson had so many antiques that he ended up leasing them to several film production companies and even to the movie Lonesome Dove.
The Blacksmith Shop at The Grove in Texas
As of 2010, the 82 year old Anderson placed the town up for sale at an auction. The town was sold to the granddaughter of W. J. and Martha Dube, Fran Moyer, of San Jose, California for $200,000.00 in 2010. Her plan so far is to not do anything with it other than preserve it. There is talk that the town will be open to concerts. The town has been closed for many years since it became a museum town back in the 1970’s and is designated as a historical town by the Smithsonian Institute. The town was highlighted by Forbes magazine in a 2008 cover story.
General Store at The Grove in Texas
Branding Iron Symbols
The Well at the Grove in Texas. It still has water in it. This well was dug in the late 1800's.
Sheriff's Office at the Grove in Texas
Here is a gallery of the above images:
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- The Grove Texas
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- Sheriff’s Office at the Grove in Texas
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- Branding Iron Symbols
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- Main Street-The Grove Texas
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- The Well at the Grove in Texas. It still has water in it. This well was dug in the late 1800’s.
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- The Museum at The Grove in Texas.
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- General Store at The Grove in Texas
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- The Blacksmith Shop at The Grove in Texas
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- Inside the blacksmith shop at The Grove
If you go, please be respectful of the town and the residents who live near it. Its a really quiet and beautiful place in the hill country of Texas.
The Ghost Town of Keeler California
“We are not ghosts!”
The lady said as she was walking toward me. “Do I look like a ghost?” She asked. I said “No you look real to me. Wait, let me take a photo to make sure.” I snapped a quick photo and looked in my viewfinder and sure enough she was there. She was only kidding of course, but she told me it’s frustrating that Keeler is considered a ghost town when in fact it still has residents. Some are even descendants of the original settlers in the area. She told me about 30peope still live there full time.
I have passed through this area many times on my way to Death Valley and decided that it needed to be explored and documented. Owens lake is now a dry lake bed, but unlike many of the lakes in the area that have been dry for thousands of years, Owens Lake actually had water in it up until 1924, when the Owens River was diverted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct. This area around the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range proved to be an excellent location for processing ore from the nearby mines. The lake and the river also provided a way for shipping and before long the towns of Lone Pine and Keeler sprang up to meet the needs of the mining operations.
Owens Lake Today. In the background is the Sierra Nevada mountain range
The Carson and Colorado Railroad Company built two sets of tracks on either side of the river to meet the demand for ore processing. A train depot and large mill were constructed near the lake in Keeler.
Old Mill on the Shores of Owens Lake in Keeler California
Abandoned Carson and Colorado Railroad train depot in Keeler, CA
The Main Street in Keeler California
Abandoned Gas Station in Keeler California
There are no services in Keeler! Apparently people have stopped at the abandoned gas station before and asked for gas and even if there was a place to stay! If you go, be respectful of the remaining residents and no, they are not ghosts!
Another Shot of the Abandoned Mill in Keeler California
Peyton Colony
Near the town of Blanco Texas is the ghost town of Peyton Colony. Save for the church, its completely abandoned. The settlement was founded around 1865 by Peyton Roberts who acquired the land by preemption. According to the Preemption Act of 1841 just about anyone could obtain federal land and claim it.
Peyton Colony School
The Colony is unique in that it was built solely by black freed men at the end of the civil war. Between 1872 and 1874 Peyton Colony built its first church on land donated by a man named Jim Upshear, who came with his wife to Peyton on a wagon train from Virginia. Around that same time a schoolhouse was built. Peyton Colony existed well up into the 1990s and many of the residents at that time were descendants of the original settlers.
A Classroom in the Peyton Colony School
Here are some interior shots of the school. I was able to gain access to the inside. Really serene spot on a small bluff overlooking the hill country.
Window View of the School
Peyton Colony School-Main Room
Mount Horeb Baptist Church-First Church Built in Peyton Colony
All that is left in Peyton Colony is the school and the church and some overgrown foundations. Its definitely worth a trip out to see it.
The Batteries at Fort MacArthur-Palos Verdes California
The California coast is littered with old WWII bunkers. At the time, America feared attack from foreign entities so the US Government poured millions of dollars into building them. many of the bunkers are abandoned the bunkers you see here are now a park near the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Even during war time, I want to think the soldiers who were stationed here must have loved the view!
Long narrow hallways made out of thick concrete
Old military truck inside the bunker
The Bunkers
Ordinance Area
The Wagon Wheel Motel and Restaurant
At the intersection of US 101 and the Pacific Coast Highway here in California was a place called The Wagon Wheel Motel and Restaurant. It was constructed in the 1950’s and had the familiar ranch style that was so popular back then. The complex was built in 1947 and quickly came to be the most well known landmark in the area. According to Wikipedia: “it was the first development by famous Oxnard developer Martin V. (“Bud”) Smith.”
Smith decided on a western themed complex when he began excavating the site and found tools and remnants from what used to be a feedlot for cattle. This type of architecture was referred to as roadside architecture. Much of which can be seen on deserted stretches of highway along sections of route 66.
Completely Deserted
Wikipedia states that: “Smith went on to hire Hollywood set designer and carpenter Roy Beatty to design and create wrought iron lamps from branding irons and spurs, and furnish the original rooms with rustic wood beds, chairs and lamps. The theme for the property was typical of the then popular cowboy movies, with windows made from wagon wheels, and cowhide chairs in the restaurant. Along the highway real wagon wheels were placed in the median next to a rustic wooden sign that read: WAGON WHEEL MOTEL NEW AND MODERN – BREAKFAST SERVICE DAY AND NIGHT – SINGLE $3 DOUBLE $4 FAMILY SUITES”
This was quite a place back in the day
The place was completely deserted and eery. It had a high fence around it, but I was able to gain access when I found a piece of fence that had been cut. I was not able to gain access to the interior of the restaurant or any of the units.
The old pool area at the Wagon Wheel Motel
As of March 2011, the whole complex was bulldozed to make way for an apartment unit. Sad that this treasure went away, but I’m glad I got to film it before it was gone. Here is a video I found on YouTube that talks about the place.
Ghost Towns And Abandoned Places 
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