Elbow, Texas: The Curious Case of a Texas Town Lost to Mystery

There are plenty of ghost towns in Texas and plenty of abandoned places. In every part of the Lone Star State, you'll find stories of towns gone bust. When it comes to Elbow, Texas, though, it's not that simple. When you search for information about Elbow, it's as if it never existed. There's no history about the founding of the town. There's nothing about the population. The town of Elbow seems to be a Texas-sized mystery.

Searching For The Mysterious Town Of Elbow, Texas

Elbow, Texas is a town located in Howard County. It's about 8 miles south of Big Bend. Online, you can find the geographical coordinates for the town, and it is listed as an unincorporated community. The Texas Almanac classifies it as a town and lists it as existing. That's pretty much all that's out there regarding this tiny Texas town.

You can pull up Elbow, Texas, on Google Maps. When you do, you can see what used to be the school building. There are some nearby homes, but that's about all. I tried digging up some recent population totals and came up empty. All that we know is that Elbow is a town, and it still exists according to some sources.

What Happened To The Tiny Town Of Elbow, Texas?

I was able to find information stating that the Forsan Independent School District services Elbow. While no information specifically states what happened to the school in Elbow, you have to imagine that all of the students there now go to Forsan. The school in Elbow sits in disrepair and looks to be completely abandoned. Windows are boarded up and the sign out front is damaged beyond being recognizable.

What happened in Elbow? The town was home to a school, a small store, and a Baptist church...according to some accounts. The closest I've gotten to figuring out the population size of Elbow is in the Texas Almanac. They list the population at 10 as of 2009.

Which Story Is The Right One About The Founding Of Elbow, Texas?

It's crazy that a town this small could be home to so many theories regarding its founding. Since the Texas Historical Commission comes up empty with any info when you search, we'll have to look at the theories.

One story is that it was supposed to be an oil storage facility. There were supposed to be three big oil tanks, but the project never got finished because the person in charge ran out of money. Another story is that supposedly the town is named for the bend in the Sabine River that's nearby. Others say it's named after the bend in Elbow Creek nearby.

One account says that the school served as the elementary for Forsan until a few years ago. A new elementary school was built in Forsan, and that spelled the end for the school in Elbow.