Sixty-five miles west of Houston sits the unincorporated community of Rock Island, Texas. Drawn in by the promise of settling in a tropical paradise near the Gulf of Mexico, a majority of Rock Island’s original residents arrived in 1897. Despite this unfulfilled reality, the town continued to grow, and by 1925 it had evolved into a thriving agricultural community with over 500 residents. Due to increased mechanization and a lack of farming jobs available, the population began to dwindle and businesses began to close, until the town eventually reached the status of a ghost town. Now, Rock Island’s few remaining structures sit alone, steadily baking in the East Texas sun as time eases this once-bustling city into another decade of isolation.
UPDATE: Rock Island, Texas is NOT a ghost town according to residents.
Great article Johnny!