Phelan, Texas

Phelan is a ghost town in Bastrop County, Texas, United States. It is located two miles north of the town of Bastrop near the intersection of Farm to Market Road 157 (Sayers Road) and Farm to Market Road 36 (Phelan Road). It is on private property.[1]

Phelan Cemetery

History

The town was founded in 1903, when John C. Phelan established the Independence Mining Company of Fort Worth to develop a lignite coal property in Bastrop County. The new mining community was likely named after Phelan.[2]

In 1905, the town was granted a request for a post office. John Phelan served as one of the first postmasters. A school was constructed in 1910 for children of the mostly Mexican miners who worked at the colliery. By 1914, Phelan had a general store and a population of 800.[1]

Although the school operated through 1933, the population had dropped to 200 by 1925, and the post office shut down in 1931.[1] Coal mining in Bastrop County continued into the 1940s before it was abandoned.[3]

Today

The former town site reportedly holds many old foundations and an underground bank vault, as well as a number of dangerous mine shafts. According to an unconfirmed story, a mine collapse in the 1920s caused the death of more than 20 workers and several mules.[4]

The Phelan Cemetery, built for the families of mine workers, is still in existence. It contains many Catholic monuments, headstones with Spanish epitaphs and several older tombstones that no longer have inscriptions.[5]

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References
  1. Mitchell Marks, Paula. "Phelan, Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  2. Woodard, Don (1997). Black Diamonds! Black Gold!: The Saga of Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Company (1st ed.). Texas Tech University Press. p. 85. ISBN 0896723798.
  3. Buder, John J. "Calvin, Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  4. Rusk, Trey. "Phelan". Ghost Towns of Texas. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  5. Owens, Tammy. "Phelan Cemetery". Cemeteries of Bastrop County Texas. Retrieved 15 August 2018.

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