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History
in a Pecan Shell
Once called Roughtown, the name was changed
after residents formed a vigilance committee, closed saloons and prohibited the
selling of liquor within a two-mile radius of the town. The current name is said
to be Spanish for "alligator" and it is presumed that the area was once rife with
the reptiles. An earlier Mexican village was reported in the mid-1830s but as
ranchers moved in, the population faded away. A town was platted by John W. Ramey
in the 1850s and by 1866 it was a thriving town with a population of 500. A post
office was granted in 1874 with the slightly different spelling of Lagarta
and Lagarto College opened in 1884. The population dropped to 350 by 1875
but the town had since added a newspaper, gristmill and hotel. In 1906 Lagarto
had two schools with a combined enrollment of 29 students taught by 2 teachers.
The town was later (1888) bypassed by the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway
and within two years Lagarto was in decline. |
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The
drinking fountain of the old school
TE Photo, February, 2006 |
First the college
closed and from a population of 200 in 1892 it shrank to just 75 by 1914. By 1936
Lagarto had 100 residents, two schools, a church, a business, and scattered dwellings.
Local schools merged with schools in George West
after WWII. In 1959 with
the construction of Lake Corpus Christi, Lagarto was given a reprieve,
although the population is still estimated at only 80 residents.
The
1925 school is still in use as a community center (look for the signs on the W
side of FM 534). |
A
former residence
TE Photo, February, 2006 |
Lagarto
Texas ForumLagarto
Not a Ghost
I would suggest you visit Lagarto, Texas before telling the
world that it is a ghost town. I live within two miles of the Lagarto highway
marker, and I'm not a ghost and neither are the estimated 700 residents of the
area. In a way, I'm glad you call it a ghost town. That way, no one will bother
us here. Certainly, and gladly, it is no longer an incorporated town and no longer
has its own post office, thank goodness! Thank goodness folks like you have no
idea what's here!! - Penny Peavy, Lagarto, Texas, December 08, 2006
Visiting
Lagarto, Texas? Book Your Area Hotel Here & Save:
George
West Hotels | Mathis
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