Preston, Texas | |
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  Preston, Texas Location within the state of Texas | |
| Coordinates:29°16′41″N95°57′50″W / 29.27806°N 95.96389°W /29.27806; -95.96389 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Wharton |
| Elevation | 85 ft (26 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 77488 |
| Area code | 979 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1359877[1] |
Preston is aghost town inWharton County in theU.S. state ofTexas. The one-time settlement was located in the land grant belonging toOld Three Hundred settler John Huff near an important north–south trail. During the early years of theRepublic of Texas, lots were sold and a town took shape. Postal service began in 1839 and ceased in 1857. The only evidence that a town existed is an old cemetery nearFarm to Market Road 1096, (FM 1096) south ofIago.
On February 5, 1838, less than two years after the founding of theRepublic of Texas, an advertisement appeared in theMatagorda Bulletin newspaper. The notice declared that lots were for sale in the town of Preston by D. D. D. Baker, John Huff and Charles DeMorse. Baker was a veteran of theBattle of San Jacinto, Huff owned the original land grant as one of theOld Three Hundred and DeMorse was a Matagorda attorney. Preston was located 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from theColorado River on the west and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) fromCaney Creek on the east. The town site was situated on the north–south trail fromMatagorda toBastrop and near the road east toHouston via Little's Ferry. The promoters noted that a new county was to be formed and that their new town was an ideal candidate for the county seat. They promised to set up a brick kiln to provide building materials.[2]
A post office was set up in Preston in 1839 with Huff as the first postmaster. However, the post office was discontinued in 1857. The cemetery contains nine graves, Eliza Merrit (d. 1851), Tilson C. Barden (d. 1877), three members of the Bradshaw family (d. 1848, 1854 and 1854) and four members of the Thompson family (d. 1845 1852, 1856 and 1860).[2]
The town site was located in the John Huff league about 8 miles (13 km) south ofWharton near present-day FM 1096. The cemetery was in poor condition in 1990.[3] South of Iago, FM 1096 heads straight southwest, curving northwest before intersecting withFarm to Market Road 3012.[4]
Municipalities and communities ofWharton County, Texas,United States | ||
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| Ghost towns | ||