Mackay is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in central

Wharton County Wharton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 41,570. Its county seat is Wharton. The county was named for brothers William Harris Wharton and John Austin Wharton. Wharton County c ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

. The once thriving community is located on

U.S. Route 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...

, (US 59) southwest of

Wharton Wharton may refer to: Academic institutions * Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania * Wharton County Junior College * Paul R. Wharton High School * Wharton Center for Performing Arts, at Michigan State University Places * Wharton, Ch ...

near

Wharton Regional Airport Wharton Regional Airport is a public airport located five miles (8 km) southwest of the central business district of Wharton, a city in Wharton County, Texas, United States. It is owned by the City of Wharton. Note that ARM was assigned t ...

. Mackay began as a railroad stop near a large ranch in 1881 and saw an influx of immigrants beginning in 1907. The community had its own post office from 1921 to 1937, but most of the buildings were gone by 1990. There were two businesses and a grain

silo A silo (from the Greek σιρός – ''siros'', "pit for holding grain") is a structure for storing bulk materials. Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage, not to be confused with a grain bin, which is used t ...

at the site in 2014.

History

Mackay began as a station on the New York, Texas and Mexican Railroad in 1881. It was named after Nevada silver magnate

John William Mackay John William Mackay (November 28, 1831 – July 20, 1902) was an Irish-American industrialist. Mackay was one of the four Bonanza Kings, a partnership which capitalised on the wealth generated by the silver mines at the Comstock Lode. He als ...

, one of the railroad's investors. The station was located on property owned by

Abel Head "Shanghai" Pierce Abel Head Pierce (June 29, 1834 – December 26, 1900), known as Shanghai Pierce, was a Texas rancher. He was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island and was a direct descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, with nine generations in between. H ...

, whose nearby ranch was managed by his nephew A. P. Borden. A post office operated for several months in 1885 before being closed. The

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

set up an experimental

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...

and

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel ('' Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...

farm in 1907. Russian and Chinese workers were imported to work on the farm and Borden built homes for them near his company store. In 1912, he erected a school for the immigrant children, which was later donated to the county as a common-school district. At the insistence of his wife, Borden built a church in nearby

Pierce Pierce may refer to: Places Canada * Pierce Range, a mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia United States * Pierce, Colorado * Pierce, Idaho * Pierce, Illinois * Pierce, Kentucky * Pierce, Nebraska * Pierce, Texas * Pierce, We ...

where she taught Sunday School. Postal service was restored to the community in 1921, with Borden as the postmaster. In 1922, Borden retired from managing the Pierce Ranch to run his own farm from a large house in Mackay. Borden died in 1934 and the property was sold to Johnny B. Ferguson, an oil

wildcatter A wildcatter is an individual who drills wildcat wells, which are exploration oil wells drilled in areas not known to be oil fields. Notable wildcatters include Glenn McCarthy, Thomas Baker Slick Sr., Mike Benedum, Joe Trees, Clem S. Clarke, ...

. Mail service stopped in 1937 and the 1940 census recorded 20 residents in Mackay. Ferguson found oil on the ranch in 1949 and operated his company out of Borden's old store. In 1953, Mackay's school became part of the

Wharton Independent School District Wharton Independent School District is a public school district based in Wharton, Texas (USA). Wharton ISD's motto is "Preparing Today for a Competitive Tomorrow." Visit www.whartonisd.net for more information. In 2014, the Wharton Independent ...

. Ferguson became famous for owning thoroughbreds Top Deck and

Go Man Go Go Man Go (1953–1983) was an American Quarter Horse stallion and race horse. He was named World Champion Quarter Running Horse three times in a row, one of only two horses to achieve that distinction. Go Man Go was considered to be of difficu ...

. In 1967, Wharton bought from Ferguson for an airport. Ferguson died in 1978. Two years later, the airport expanded to . By 1990, most of the buildings had disappeared.

Geography

Mackay is on US 59, a distance of to the southwest of Wharton at the intersection of County Road 467. The entrance to Wharton Regional Airport is on US 59, farther to the southwest. In 2014, there were four structures in the area, a gun store, a small house, a grain silo and a combination filling station and restaurant. Bosque Creek flows southeast through the area before emptying into the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

, south of Wharton.

Notes

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Wharton County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas