Mars, Texas
Ghost town in Texas, United States
32°21′34″N 95°43′33″W / 32.35944°N 95.72583°W / 32.35944; -95.72583Mars is a ghost town in Van Zandt County, Texas, United States.[1]
Once a retail center for the surrounding community, all that remains of the settlement is a church.
History
Mars was settled by brothers John and Henry Marrs.[2]
The settlement was a retail trading center, and had two mercantile stores, a blacksmith shop, and a cotton gin and grist mill.[2][3][4]
The Pleasant Ridge Church and school were established in 1871.[4] In 1916, the school consolidated to form the Clower Common School District (Clower is located approximately 15 mi (24 km) north of Mars).[4][5][6]
In 1891, a post office was established, originally called "Acme". The name was changed to "Mars" seven years later. The post office closed in 1907.[4][7]
The population of Mars was over 100 in 1915, and had declined to 50 in 1945.[2]
The Pleasant Ridge Church is all that remains of the settlement.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Mars". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b c d Kleiner, Diana J. (June 15, 2010). "Mars Community, TX". Handbook of Texas Online.
- ^ "Marrs Community". Van Zandt County Texas. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Mars Community". Uncovered Texas. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ^ Riley, Andrew J. (August 1941). How the Trend Towards Centralization has Affected the Schools in Van Zandt County (M.Sc. thesis). University of North Texas.
- ^ "Clower". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1902). A Gazetteer of Texas. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 102.
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Municipalities and communities of Van Zandt County, Texas, United States
County seat: Canton
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