Swartwout - Texas Ghost Town

SWARTWOUT

NAME: Swartwout
COUNTY: Polk
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 4
CLIMATE: Warm winter, hot summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT:Winter, spring, fall

COMMENTS: Near Goodrich.
REMAINS: Some crumbling ruins.

The town had a life of about forty years from the 1830s to the 1870s. Located on the Trinity River near the east end of the Trinity River dam, the town was organized by three developers with financial aid from Samuel Swartwout of New York City. The developers were certain Swartwout would become the county seat when Polk County was officially formed in 1854. The town was a prosperous trading center with a steamboat landing, stagecoach service, ferry across the Trinty River, several hotels and professional people including doctors, ministers and other professionals. The county seat went to a town nine miles from Swartwout called Springfield at the time. The name was changed to Livingston when the town promoter offered the county one hundred acres of land. The county accepted the offer and Livingston has been the only county seat for Polk County. Decreased river traffic and the loss of the county seat caused a decline with the departure of most of the original settlers and families. SUBMITTED BY: Henry Chenoweth	Swartwout Courtesy Mike Woodfin Swartwout Courtesy Mike Woodfin Swartwout Church Courtesy Mike Woodfin Inscription reads: 86 Blocks and 2 public squares were laid out here in 1838 with James Morgan, Arthur Gardner, and Thomas Bradley as proprietors. Named in honor or James Swartwout (1783-1856). Swartwout was a steamboat landing before the Civil War and then a ferry landing until 1930. Courtesy Mike Woodfin

The town had a life of about forty years from the 1830s to the 1870s. Located on the Trinity River near the east end of the Trinity River dam, the town was organized by three developers with financial aid from Samuel Swartwout of New York City. The developers were certain Swartwout would become the county seat when Polk County was officially formed in 1854. The town was a prosperous trading center with a steamboat landing, stagecoach service, ferry across the Trinty River, several hotels and professional people including doctors, ministers and other professionals. The county seat went to a town nine miles from Swartwout called Springfield at the time. The name was changed to Livingston when the town promoter offered the county one hundred acres of land. The county accepted the offer and Livingston has been the only county seat for Polk County. Decreased river traffic and the loss of the county seat caused a decline with the departure of most of the original settlers and families. SUBMITTED BY: Henry Chenoweth

Swartwout
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Swartwout Church
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

Inscription reads: 86 Blocks and 2 public squares were laid out here in 1838 with James Morgan, Arthur Gardner, and Thomas Bradley as proprietors. Named in honor or James Swartwout (1783-1856). Swartwout was a steamboat landing before the Civil War and then a ferry landing until 1930.
Courtesy Mike Woodfin

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