I want to try something a little different, and I hope you enjoy it.
Last month, I took a microphone out to Gilliland in Knox County during my visit to the ghost town, and I made some field recordings while snapping pictures. When I got home, I did some research into music that suited the frame of mind that Gilliland put me in as explored the site, trying to capture just the right moods. I then mixed the music and field recordings together, boiled it down into a stereo mix, and voila! My first attempt at an audio ghost town essay.
Click here to listen on Mixcloud if you're interested in checking it out. The entire piece runs for a little under 50 minutes. Listen at home, at work, in your car, wherever you feel the need for some minimal, contemplative music.
As a shameless plug, the Mixcloud suite also features a performance by my good friend, Laura Ainsworth. Click here to visit Laura's website or to learn about her debut album, Keep It To Yourself. You can also click here to follow Laura's Twitter feed. The mix also includes performances by Stars of the Lid, Rafael Anton Irisarri, and many more.
I hope to do more of these in the future, and unlike this blog, the "Ghost Town Essays" might not be restricted to Texas sites. There are other fascinating abandoned towns all across the Southwest, and I would also love to set foot one day in the perpetually smoldering mining ghost town of Centralia, Pennsylvania - that would make for a compelling audio project.
Showing posts with label Knox County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knox County. Show all posts
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
Gilliland (Knox County) - December 2012 photos
Some ghost towns in Texas have long and detailed histories replete with tales of ambition, grandeur, innovation, and sometimes lawlessness and mayhem. And then there are ghost towns like Gilliland, which is located on Farm Road 1756 in north central Knox County, within an hour's drive from the Panhandle.
Downtown Gilliland today
Located smack dab in the middle of nowhere, Gilliland never grew to any great size - boasting a reported peak of 120 residents in 1947 - but those that called Gilliland home worked hard to build it into a community that could take care of itself. The first white settlers to put down roots here established a community called Coyote, and their efforts managed to attract some Norwegian families from Bosque County, who migrated to Coyote in 1890. The community established its own school district on May 1, 1892, and opened the doors of its school in 1895, with Oma Aker serving as the community's first teacher. When Coyote resident O.M. Olson opened a post office inside his home in 1907, the post office was named after district judge W.A. Gilliland, and the name quickly stuck to the town itself.
Abandoned and deteriorating general store at Gilliland
Remains of Gilliland's garage
A peek inside the disheveled garage
A cotton gin was built just outside Gilliland in 1910 and later modernized in 1936. Gilliland's population grew from 50 in 1925 to 120 in 1947, with the school, four businesses and one church serving the town's needs.
Gilliland's abandoned gas station and grocery
Closer look at the rusting Esso gasoline pumps (today, Esso is known as ExxonMobil)
One of numerous derelict houses in Gilliland being reclaimed by the elements
The most important building in Gilliland appears to have been its school. Although small compared to many modern school buildings in Texas today, Gilliland's school featured numerous classrooms, a cafeteria, and a gymnasium that doubled as an auditorium for plays and assemblies. Over the years, the school absorbed other schools in the region, which undoubtedly contributed to the town's growth. In 1948, however, it was Gilliland's turn. The town's high school was transferred to the city of Munday, some 20 miles south of Gilliland, leaving the town with only a grade school that continued to operate until the school itself was closed down in 1975.
Gilliland's school building as seen from the rear
Weatherbeaten swingset at the Gilliland school
Ingenious front gate to Gilliland's school - students can fit through, but cattle cannot
Front door to Gilliland's school building
Stage in the gymnasium, still outfitted for a school play
Bleachers in the gymnasium
Hallway between classes with rotting and deteriorating floor - walking on the floorboards is NOT recommended
The closing of Gilliland's school appears to mirror the fortunes of the town itself; in 1990, the population was reported as 103, but ten years later, the number plunged to only 25. Today, there may be even fewer than that.
Front gate to Gilliland Cemetery
Some of the numerous graves at the cemetery
Memorial to World War I and World War II veterans at the cemetery
One of Gilliland's denizens had a striking name
Tombstone for a nurse
Gilliland Cemetery is approaching its sesquicentennial, and unfortunately some of the older gravestones have been damaged or disappeared completely. A couple of graves caught my eye in the far corner of the cemetery - the only known African-Americans buried in Gilliland. Whoever interred them apparently felt the need to not only isolate their graves from the general population at the cemetery, but also to stamp the word "Negro" on each of their headstones.
Grave marker for Herman Williams
Looking back at the photographs I took of Gilliland, while I am proud of the images I've been able to share with you, there were so many more images of the ghost town I could have captured. I've been looking forward to visiting Gilliland for a long time, and while the chances are remote that I will ever set foot in the townsite again, if I ever do, I will definitely have to grab more photos of this small but proud town nestled in the Rolling Plains, just southeast of the Panhandle. Sometimes, the best stories come out of the smallest towns, and in the case of towns such as Gilliland, it's not just a matter of what the town has built - but also what it has left behind.
Downtown Gilliland today
Located smack dab in the middle of nowhere, Gilliland never grew to any great size - boasting a reported peak of 120 residents in 1947 - but those that called Gilliland home worked hard to build it into a community that could take care of itself. The first white settlers to put down roots here established a community called Coyote, and their efforts managed to attract some Norwegian families from Bosque County, who migrated to Coyote in 1890. The community established its own school district on May 1, 1892, and opened the doors of its school in 1895, with Oma Aker serving as the community's first teacher. When Coyote resident O.M. Olson opened a post office inside his home in 1907, the post office was named after district judge W.A. Gilliland, and the name quickly stuck to the town itself.
Abandoned and deteriorating general store at Gilliland
Remains of Gilliland's garage
A peek inside the disheveled garage
A cotton gin was built just outside Gilliland in 1910 and later modernized in 1936. Gilliland's population grew from 50 in 1925 to 120 in 1947, with the school, four businesses and one church serving the town's needs.
Gilliland's abandoned gas station and grocery
Closer look at the rusting Esso gasoline pumps (today, Esso is known as ExxonMobil)
One of numerous derelict houses in Gilliland being reclaimed by the elements
The most important building in Gilliland appears to have been its school. Although small compared to many modern school buildings in Texas today, Gilliland's school featured numerous classrooms, a cafeteria, and a gymnasium that doubled as an auditorium for plays and assemblies. Over the years, the school absorbed other schools in the region, which undoubtedly contributed to the town's growth. In 1948, however, it was Gilliland's turn. The town's high school was transferred to the city of Munday, some 20 miles south of Gilliland, leaving the town with only a grade school that continued to operate until the school itself was closed down in 1975.
Gilliland's school building as seen from the rear
Weatherbeaten swingset at the Gilliland school
Ingenious front gate to Gilliland's school - students can fit through, but cattle cannot
Front door to Gilliland's school building
Stage in the gymnasium, still outfitted for a school play
Bleachers in the gymnasium
Hallway between classes with rotting and deteriorating floor - walking on the floorboards is NOT recommended
The closing of Gilliland's school appears to mirror the fortunes of the town itself; in 1990, the population was reported as 103, but ten years later, the number plunged to only 25. Today, there may be even fewer than that.
Front gate to Gilliland Cemetery
Some of the numerous graves at the cemetery
Memorial to World War I and World War II veterans at the cemetery
One of Gilliland's denizens had a striking name
Tombstone for a nurse
Gilliland Cemetery is approaching its sesquicentennial, and unfortunately some of the older gravestones have been damaged or disappeared completely. A couple of graves caught my eye in the far corner of the cemetery - the only known African-Americans buried in Gilliland. Whoever interred them apparently felt the need to not only isolate their graves from the general population at the cemetery, but also to stamp the word "Negro" on each of their headstones.
Grave marker for Herman Williams
Looking back at the photographs I took of Gilliland, while I am proud of the images I've been able to share with you, there were so many more images of the ghost town I could have captured. I've been looking forward to visiting Gilliland for a long time, and while the chances are remote that I will ever set foot in the townsite again, if I ever do, I will definitely have to grab more photos of this small but proud town nestled in the Rolling Plains, just southeast of the Panhandle. Sometimes, the best stories come out of the smallest towns, and in the case of towns such as Gilliland, it's not just a matter of what the town has built - but also what it has left behind.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
From the Rolling Plains to downtown Dallas in 4 1/2 hours
Yesterday, I pushed all the way into Knox County during my first ghost town expedition in months, and after seeing some impressive sights and taking lots of photos, I raced all the way back to Dallas to catch a performance of Avenue Q with some old friends of mine, walking through the front door with only a couple of minutes to spare.
I did mention photos, right? I'll be sharing them with you sometime this week, and they will definitely be worth the wait. Can't do it today, though - too many errands, and I'm still feeling exhausted. The leg cramp that woke me up this morning didn't help. Please bear with me; the photos are coming really soon. I have some catching up to do on this site.
I did mention photos, right? I'll be sharing them with you sometime this week, and they will definitely be worth the wait. Can't do it today, though - too many errands, and I'm still feeling exhausted. The leg cramp that woke me up this morning didn't help. Please bear with me; the photos are coming really soon. I have some catching up to do on this site.
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