Hampton was a town in

Palo Pinto County Palo Pinto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,409. The county seat is Palo Pinto. The county was created in 1856 and organized the following year. Palo Pinto County comprises th ...

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. The town was moved south one mile to a nearby railroad and renamed Gordon in 1881.

Geography

Hampton was located at (32.56747, -98.98.36420).

History

The town of Hampton was settled around the year 1864, one mile north of present-day

Gordon, Texas Gordon is a city in Palo Pinto County, Texas, United States. The population was 478 at the 2010 Census. Geography Gordon is located at (32.544121, –98.365978). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , a ...

. Hampton was a wood-structured town on the frontier. A post office opened its doors in 1879, with Robert Rogan appointed as postmaster. Mr. Rogan and a Mr. Cotney were early town businessmen. Jess Neblet was the first merchant selling groceries and dry goods in town. On the religious scene, the First Baptist Church of Hampton was organized 1879, with the Methodist Church following a few months later. Just as Hampton was beginning to thrive, the

Texas and Pacific Railway The Texas and Pacific Railway Company (known as the T&P) was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California. History Under the influence of ...

started making its way through southern Palo Pinto County. The new railroad was part of the largest single expansion of the Texas and Pacific system, linking

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

to Sierra Blanca; and it occurred between 1880 and 1881. The track did not go through Hampton proper but was located about a mile south of town. Town leaders met and decided that it would be best for the community to move closer to the railroad and take advantage of what it had to offer. Town leaders included the likes of Albert Lusk, Ben Foster, Jess Neblet, Jim Moore, John Moore, Tod Wood, Alf Beckham, Jasper Odan, Jeff Cowden, and Dock Abels. By late 1881 Hampton was full-swing in the process of relocation to the railroad town of Gordon. Records indicate that the First Baptist Church relocated to Gordon in late 1881 and the Methodist Church made the move in early 1882. The Hampton post office was one of the last official re-locations when it was moved to Gordon, re-opening there on October 17, 1883.

Education

The area in which Hampton was located is served by the

Gordon Independent School District Gordon Independent School District is a public school district based in Gordon, Texas (USA). Located in Palo Pinto County, the district serves the city of Mingus and extends into a small portion of northern Erath County. Gordon ISD was rated Ex ...

References

External links

City of Gordon web site

Gordon United Methodist Church web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hampton, Texas Cities in Palo Pinto County, Texas Cities in Texas