Small Towns Near Dallas

[pepper131]

Originally Posted by Pontificator

Mineral Wells. Downtown is half-dead, but wholly inspiring for a photographer. Are you familiar with the Baker Hotel?

This is a great idea. I took some creepy pictures last year around the Baker.
OP - go ahead and google The Baker. It was supposed to be redeveloped, but don't think that ever took off.

[Saintmarks]

Farmersville, Anna, Princeton, Mellisa, Van Alstyne, Prosper, Celina, Gunter, Pilot Point.... all in the Collin/Denton County area and not as far out as some suggestions. Some of the others mentioned, Grapevine, McKinney, Denton are somewhat gentrified and while historic, have lost some of that rural small town feel and are much larger than a one main street town to boot. The towns I list still feel from another era. However, if you want the tumbleweed feel, you gotta go a couple hundred miles or more west.

[texasmccurrys]

Celina and McKinnry

[Pontificator]

Originally Posted by pepper131

This is a great idea. I took some creepy pictures last year around the Baker.
OP - go ahead and google The Baker. It was supposed to be redeveloped, but don't think that ever took off.

This hotel fascinates me beyond all reason! Cannot go through MW without doing a Baker stop. In fact, I MIGHT have been there last night.

Alas, looks like the redevelopment is off (again). Website shows it to be for sale. If only I had a few million.......

Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas

[Vintrest]

It's been about 20 years since my last photographic trip to Northeast Texas (from Ft. Worth) but my spouse and I think its time to go back again and this time with a digital camera. Thanks to today's helpful streetview, there's now a much better idea of where to look. My spouse and I plan to revisit Bonham, Honey Grove, Ladonia, (its former now almost gone old downtown is rapidly nearing ghost status) Paris, and maybe Clarksville. The early 1970's would have been the perfect time to take photos around those parts as these smaller communities still had dozens of once grand but nearly derelict 19th century gingerbreaded homes teetering on the brink of oblivion. (even now growing Denton fit that category in those days) Where they once stood are now blocks covered with many weedy vacant lots. I recall Denison, Texas from my childhood (my Dad was born there) in the late '50's and early 60's and it as well as the other Grayson County town of Sherman had block after block of faded Victorian era homes. Very few can be found now. Denison did a beautification makeover of their old downtown in the mid-1960's covering up the ornate facades of their old brick and stone 1800's buildings. Once the 60's downtown beautification started looking dated and the business traffic ebbed, they were simply knocked down. Our planned photographic trip is to see and document what remains compared to 20 years ago. 20 years hence some of these smaller towns may actually reach ghost status. The fate of small town Texas is no different from small town America-the big cities continue to grow at the expense of the rural communities. The busy railroads and family farms of another era which gave rise to these once prosperous towns have also faded away. It all seems wasteful and sad in a way...

[oldfashionedcountrygirl]

Squirl
Midlothian looks pretty creepy with all the cement factories. It does look like a great place for pictures though. Thanks for sharing.

[oldfashionedcountrygirl]

I love all of the suggestions here. I am quite interested in the Baker now. Went on a 'walk-thru' of how it looked inside in 2002. Looks like something out of Ghost Hunters. Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas Pretty awesome, sure wish there was a way to get inside legally. Definitely going to head there for pictures soon though.