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Old Alton Chapel
Photo courtesy Eilish Mangnall, February 2016 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
For a town that no longer exists, Alton has a fascinating history.
In 1848 the Texas legislature decided that Alton would become the
county seat of government for Denton
County, replacing the community of Pinckneyville.
Present-day Corinth is less than a
mile from what was the first town to be named Alton. The county seat
was occupied by a single resident (W. C. Baines) for three years and
the lack of potable water was one reason for this. This problem was
settled by the state legislature in 1850 by designating a new site
on Hickory Creek (five miles south of present-day Denton).
The new site retained the name and submitted an application for a
post office. A hotel and two stores soon appeared, but the location
was unsatisfactory for a majority of Denton
County residents. In 1856 they petitioned for yet another county
seat, one with better water and more centrally located.
In late 1856 they held an election and decided to accept an offer
by three businessmen who were to provide 100 acres of land for Denton
County’s permanent county seat. The new site was named Denton
and Alton became a historical footnote and ghost town. |
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The Old Alton
Cemetery
Photo courtesy Eilish Mangnall, February 2016 |
Historical Marker:
Old Alton Cemetery
With burials dating
to 1852, this graveyard is associated with some of the earliest settlement
in Denton County.
In that year, Rebecca Daugherty, daughter of one of the pioneer families,
died and was buried on family property. Over time, burials of neighbors
and relatives continued on the site, and in 1909 the land was donated
and dedicated as a private cemetery.
Alton was the county seat of Denton
County from 1851 until 1856. Located on Hickory Creek, the community
flourished with stores, a hotel, post office, school and other businesses.
Nearby is the Hickory Creek Baptist Church, organized in the Alton
community in 1855. When the county seat was moved to Denton
in 1856, Alton began to decline, but many families continued to bury
their dead in this cemetery.
The graveyard contains more than 600 burials, including 20 graves
that are unmarked and 55 burials that are marked only with rocks or
sandstone. Pioneers, veterans and others with ties to the old Alton
community rest here. The Old Alton Memorial Cemetery Association cares
for the graves and gathers annually in the spring for Decoration Day.
As the area becomes more urban, the Old Alton Cemetery stands as a
reminder of the region's rural past.
(2002) |
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Old Alton Cemetery
Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Eilish Mangnall, February 2016 |
Old Alton Chapel
Photo courtesy Eilish Mangnall, February 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Eilish Mangnall, February 2016 |
Alton / Old
Alton
Photographer's
Note:
"I found your site a few years ago and I love reading about Texas
ghost towns! I read about Alton and realized I've lived 5 minutes
from it for most of my life! I go to high school right across from
the cemetery and church. My house might even be where an old one stood!
I go to the bridge all the time as well. I always call the bridge
Old Alton bridge. I never made the connection that Alton and
Old Alton were the same place when I was reading this! The bridge
is often referred to as Goat Man's bridge and there are rumors
it is haunted. Thanks for letting me share!" - Eilish Mangnall,
March 14, 2016 |
The Old Alton
Bridge
Recorded Texas
Historic Landmark |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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