This Panhandle Town Was Booming, Then The Bank Suddenly Shut Down

When it comes to "ghost towns" in the panhandle, Newlin, Texas is a testament to the harsh realities of The Great Depression. It was a small town that was thriving and seemed to be growing until hard times put the brakes on the progress and the town became regarded as a "ghost town."

The Bustling Panhandle Town Of Newlin, Texas Pre-Ghost Town Status

The town of Newlin got its start in the 1880s. Legend has it that the town's namesake camped with Charles Goodnight during a buffalo hunt, and platted the town around ten years later. Good times were soon to follow.

The good times can be attributed to the railroad, as was the case with a lot of towns in the panhandle. Newlin was bustling. At its prime, the town had 23 businesses, four churches, a brick school, a post office, and a population just shy of 500 people.

Things were good for the small town just north of the Prarie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to last.

The Great Depression And Newlin's Inability To Recover

When The Great Depression hit, it hit Newlin hard. This resulted in Newlin's bank closing. Then, after WWII, the school district merged with a town most well known for being the place you get pulled over on 287. In 1947, the school district consolidated with Estelline.

In 1968, the post office was no more. Supposedly the only business structures that were still standing in 1980 were the walls of the bank and the W.B. Ballard store. The town that once had so much going for it was reduced to 31 by 1984, and according to the information out there, it stayed that way through 2000.