While we enjoy exploring ghost towns and learning about their history, the sad fact
is that there are several ghost towns in- the- making that we're not even aware of.
Thanks to the proliferation of Wal-Mart supercenters, Interstate highways and
industries re-locating to foreign countries, many towns are in fact fading away,
boarding up their buildings and houses one by one.

  Small towns are quaint but they don't provide the opportunity that the younger
generation needs. In order to make a living, many young people have to leave for the
city. The little towns that dot the Red River Valley then lose a vital part of their
population. As cities grow bigger and companies consolidate in suburbs, towns like
Ladonia, Achille, and Caddo can have a hard time holding on.  Ladonia (located on
the Fannin/Delta county line), for example, was once a much bigger town than it is
now. After many family farms failed, the town has shrunk considerably, although the
magnificent turn-of-the-century houses still remain. However, Ladonia has a strong
and healthy school, and this proves to be the salvation for most of these small
towns. Having a school keeps the character of the town alive - after all, we live in
Football country, where the focus of town life in the fall is on the home team. Further,
city people are now discovering the relatively inexpensive and peaceful
surroundings of the old towns. But many of these newcomers either are
empty-nesters or weekend only folks, so their beneficial impact is negligible.

  Make sure to enjoy - and record! - the histories of your small town. While they
slowly fade away on our maps, the memories can last forever.
Downtown Ladonia, Texas.
Venerable Jefferson, Texas, is a model of what
a near-ghost can turn into: This old river side
building now houses a theater.
A reverse ghost: Frisco, Texas, a rather quiet farming
community in Collin County (north of Dallas), is now
a booming suburb, with shopping malls,
McMansions, and Olive Garden-like restaurants.
History is slowly being rolled away, one house at
time (and many more houses have been demolished
altogether). Frisco is hardly recognizable anymore -
a flourishing ghost town...
Hebron (Denton County, Texas) is a ghost town
in the middle of subruban sprawl. Only old
facades remain of the earliest settlement in
Denton County - and they sit on private land.
Soon-to-be-Ghosts