Telegraph, Texas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Telegraph, Texas
Telegraph is located in Texas
Telegraph
Telegraph
Location in Texas and the United States
Coordinates: 30°19′39″N 99°54′22″W / 30.32750°N 99.90611°W / 30.32750; -99.90611Coordinates: 30°19′39″N 99°54′22″W / 30.32750°N 99.90611°W / 30.32750; -99.90611
CountryUnited States
StateTexas
CountyKimble
Elevation
[1]
1,854 ft (565 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)325
FIPS code48-72092[2]
GNIS feature ID1379144[1]

Telegraph is a ghost town on State Highway 377, 13 miles (20 km) southwest of Junction, in Kimble County, Texas, United States.

History[]

Biographer Robert A. Caro notes, "the town had no telegraph; it had been given its name because telegraph poles had been cut from trees near there during the 1850s."[3]

Ruth Holmes was appointed the first postmaster, when Telegraph was assigned a post office on February 17, 1900.[4]

By the 1890, ranches were established in the surrounding area of the Texas Hill Country. During the 1920s, camping on the river near Telegraph was a popular vacation spot for campers, hunters, and fishermen, with the only building of the town serving as the residence/country store/post office (which closed in 2009). In 1925, Telegraph had rental cabins on the river, and a gas station-post office-general store (residence of the postmaster).[5]

The general store and post office, built 1890-1900, was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1996, marker number 5219.[6]

Telegraph was about a mile from the ranch built by Governor Coke Stevenson, known as "Mr. Texas".

At its peak in 1966, the town had a trade population of 56 people, made up of people living in the cedar breaks and on the ranches surrounding Telegraph, using its post office.[7]

Notable persons[]

  • Governor Coke Stevenson

Climate[]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Telegraph has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Telegraph, Texas
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ Caro, Robert A. (1990). Means of Ascent. Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 155. ISBN 0-394-49973-5.
  4. ^ "Kimble County Post Offices". Jim Wheat. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  5. ^ Gaxiola, Anthony B. "TSHA-Telegraph, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  6. ^ "Telegraph Store and Post Office". Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  7. ^ "Escape-Telegraph, Texas". Texas Escapes. Texas Escapes - Blueprints For Travel, LLC. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  8. ^ Climate Summary for Telegraph, Texas
Retrieved from ""