Alton, Texas (ghost town)

Alton's lively, strange history began in 1846, when government officials of the newly formed Denton County were looking for a county seat. The first pioneers of the county picked a remote location along Pecan Creek and named it Pinckneyville after Texas' first governor, James Pinckney Henderson. The town only held the title of the county seat for 2 years before water shortages, and they were forced to find a new site.

In 1848, the government officials found another site on a high ridge between Pecan Creek and Hickory Creek, about a mile away from the previous town, and about a mile away from present-day Corinth. They named the town Alton; Alton would become the new county seat of Denton County.

Alton was occupied by only a single resident, W.C. Baines, who established a farmstead long before the town even existed. County business meetings ended up being held under a tree in Mr. Baines' backyard. But even this location was considered unfavorable, most likely due to the lack of drinkable water in the town. The water problem was eventually resolved in November 1850 by the Texas State Legislature by designating a brand new site on Hickory Creek, only five miles south of where Denton stands today.[1]

The new town site kept the name of Alton and an application was submitted for a post office to be opened in the town. As the application was pending, a hotel and two stores were opened, The town continued to attract attention, and in 1856, the town contained several homes, a blacksmith, another store, a school, a saloon, another hotel, two more doctors, and a lawyer. A church was also opened, the Hickory Creek Baptist Church that still operates weekly to this day.

In 1856, the citizens soured on Alton due to sickness caused by the bad water at this location. They signed a petition for another county seat, this time asking for better water sources and a more central location in the county. Later that year, Denton County held an election and accepted an offer from three business men. They claimed they would provide 100 acres of land for a new, permanent county seat. They named the new site after the name of the county, and that new site became modern-day Denton.[2]

The need for Alton became obsolete as Denton was now proclaimed as the official county seat, and many subsequently moved to Denton. Denton became a boom-town, and the population sky-rocketed to around a thousand in no time. Many businesses in Alton closed their doors, and in 1859 the post office closed forever, solidifying Alton's status as a ghost town.

Just before the immediate death of the town, a cemetery was constructed in honor of the history of the little-known disaster that was Alton. The cemetery played a huge role in establishing old ghost stories about the town.[1]

Years after the decline of Alton, an iron through-truss bridge was built in 1884 just south of the town site. It was built by the King Bridge Company based in Cleveland, Ohio. The bridge was named similarly to the town and the cemetery, and was named the Old Alton Bridge. The bridge acquired many nicknames over the years, some including the Argyle Bridge, and the "Goatman's Bridge" among the locals. The bridge continued to operate and in July 1988, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

The Goatman

A picture of the supposedly haunted bridge near Alton, Texas.

However, nearly half a century after the bridge was built, it started making headlines. An African-American man named Oscar Washburn settled his family near the bridge. His occupation was raising goats, and he made quite a substantial amount of money; he became known as the "Goatman" among the residents. He accepted the nickname with open arms, and put his own sign on the bridge that read, "this way to the Goatman!"

Unfortunately, because of the racial issues at the time, many did not welcome a successful African-American into their town. After local members of the Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, saw the sign, they were angered. They stormed a raid on Washburns' house and dragged him out to the bridge. They tied a noose over his head and dropped him over the bridge, but when they looked down, he was not there; only the rope. Ever since that day, people have made urban legends about a half-man, half-goat that lurks in the area, blood-thirsty.[1]

A humorous YouTube video taken from BuzzFeed Unsolved Network showed the two channel owners visiting the bridge while attempting to summon the Goatman, and since then it has acquired over 23 million views, making it one of the channels most popular videos as of 2023, as well as bringing more attention to the legend of the Alton Bridge.

The former site of Alton lies surrounded by the towns of Corinth, Copper Canyon, Lantana, and parts of Argyle in Denton County. The town sits on Old Alton Road and Hickory Hill Road, while the Old Alton Bridge is located on Old Alton Road and Copper Canyon Road. The zip code for the area is 76210.