History & Haunting of : Shafter Lake , Andrews County, Texas, U. S.A It is a ghost town located four miles west of U.S. Route 385 on the shores of Shafter Lake. It became a ghost town after the town lost an election for county seat of Andrews County. The town was almost completely wiped out by a smallpox epidemic around the turn of the last century, possibly sometime before 1910. Up until about ten years ago, the cemetery where the victims were buried was located on the near edge of the small lake (which comes and goes as it pleases), but the bodies were moved and reentered elsewhere. Legend was that a lady in white haunted the graveyard, possibly the reason for its removal. Sometime during the fall of the year, you may also see a troop of Confederate soldiers and their horses galloping across the lake, usually during a full moon. Most think it is General Shafter and his men, who did patrol that area before it was settled, trying to escape Comanche Indians pursing them. By the way, the lake wasnt (and isnt) always there. It just appeared sometime in the forties, according to my mother, who lived in the area from 1948 on. The water is very salty, not good for anything, and there is no explanation for its being there at all. hprt.org/hauntedlocations.htm Located in north central Andrews County, the town developed as part of the early 20th century boom in the lands of West Texas. A local businessman, J.F. Bustin, convinced the firm Pierce and Powers to found a town on the north shore of the lake. Shafter Lake, a small, shallow alkali lake, lies fifty feet below the elevation of the surrounding land. The towns original name was Salt Lake, later it and the lake were renamed after the army officer who had discovered the lake, William R. Shafter, in 1875. Shafter Lake was platted in August 1907 and by early September had become a busy village. The early years of the town were its most successful. Through 1910 the village continued to grow and prosper. One of the most ardent supporters of Shafter Lake was the editor of the local paper, the Shafter Lake Herald. James T. Cumleys editorials were sprinkled with nothing but praise for the upstart community. His edits boasted of the areas rich soil and the recreation potential of Shafter Lake. He also published some of the kind feedback that visitors to Shafter Lake had uttered. Cumley distributed thousands of copies of the Herald across America and especially throughout the Midwest. Scarcely a month after the town was platted wagon trains of freight could be observed leaving for Lubbock. Still others could be seen hauling in lumber from Midland for new home construction in Shafter Lake. Some wagon trains and their requisite wagoneers would stop and rest in the village before heading further south. Within two months the town had over 50 new homes and a school was preparing to open. The same year as the towns foundation saw the opening of the Shafter Lake post office, its first postmaster was Bert M. Irwin. Rumors abound during 1907 of the Llano Estacado, Mexico and Gulf Railroad coming into and through the town. Surveyors did arrive in Shafter Lake and the rail line was scheduled for completion in 1909 but only one mile was ever graded. Shafter Lake reached its zenith in 1910 when its population reached 500, it had a bank, three churches, a school, a general store, a blacksmith and two hotels. The year of its peak also saw the beginning of its decline.en.wikipedia.org Photo art 1 by https://facebook/historyhaunted/timeline Photo 2 3 & 5by rootsweb.ancestry/~ Photo 4 by texasescapes/TexasTowns/Last remains of the original town Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, February 2008
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 16:00:02 +0000
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