Clairemont is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

in and the former county seat of Kent County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States. It is at the intersection of

U.S. Route 380 U.S. Route 380 (US 380) is an east–west United States highway. The highway's eastern terminus is in Greenville, Texas at an intersection with Interstate 30, of which the easternmost 3–4 miles are concurrent with US 69 in a loop around t ...

and

Texas State Highway 208 State Highway 208 (SH 208) is a Texas state highway that runs from San Angelo to southeast of Spur. History The route was originally designated on July 16, 1934 from San Angelo to Robert Lee. On June 16, 1936, SH 208 was extended north to Colo ...

, southwest of Jayton and east of

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. Clairemont lies near the center of Kent County, and the estimated population as of the 2000 census was 15.

History

Clairemont was established in 1892 to coincide with the organization of Kent County with the understanding that it would serve as the county's seat of government.Charles G. Davis, "Clairemont, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hnc62, accessed December 04, 2012, Published by the Texas State Historical Association. The new town was located on land owned by local rancher R.L. Rhomberg, who named the new town after his niece, Claire Becker. In 1895, a sandstone courthouse and matching jail were constructed. By that time, the town had several stores, a bank, a newspaper, and a hotel. Although the Stamford and Northwestern Railway had bypassed Clairemont to the east by 1909, the town continued to prosper. Cotton farming and cattle ranching dominated the economy, and oil later became important. By the 1930s, the population exceeded 200. By the 1950s, however, the town had begun a steady decline and by 1954 had lost its title as county seat to nearby Jayton. The Clairemont courthouse burned shortly after the records were transferred to Jayton, but the bottom story was preserved as a community center. The remaining citizens soon began to move away, and the population dwindled to about 15 by the 2000s. 2019 Clairemont

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* *
Public domain photos of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico
{{Kent County, Texas Populated places in Kent County, Texas Ghost towns in the Texas South Plains Populated places established in 1892 1892 establishments in Texas Former county seats in Texas

History

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