North Texas

Abandoned St. John’s Catholic Church in Bomarton

St Johns in Bomarton by Mike Mezeul II

This is the Milky Way over the abandoned St. John’s Catholic Church in Bomarton.

Bomarton, on U.S. Highway 277 near the Knox county line in southwest Baylor County, was founded in 1906, when the Wichita Valley Railroad was extended from Seymour to Abilene. It was named for W. H. Bomar, an early settler. Tom McClure established a post office in 1906 in his store. B. B. Calfee and J. R. Snyder ran another early store. A school was started in 1907, churches were constructed between 1908 and 1910, and two cotton gins were operating in 1914. Marketing and baseball games made Bomarton a lively center on Saturdays. Another amenity was a large open grazing area for milk cows and calves. The population in the community was 580 in 1920, 600 in 1930, and 598 in 1940. During and after World War II Bomarton declined. The population was 150 in 1960, twenty-seven in 1980, twenty-three in 1990, and fifteen in 2000.


Text from Texas State Historical Association | Photo by Mike Mezeul II