Crafton, Texas

[1] Initially laid out in the 1870s or 1880s by George Craft, the town's namesake, Crafton reached a population of 250 in 1885, and had several businesses, churches, and a school.

It struggled economically after the turn of the 19th century, when railroads bypassed the town, and its population has steadily declined to an estimated twenty in 2000.

[a] Craft laid claim to a plot of 160 acres (65 ha) in 1877, and the governor of Texas granted him a patent on April 12, 1880.

[2] Historian Jerry Flemmons described Crafton in the 1870s as "a wart-like collection of mismatched sod and log houses mounted on hump-backed hills.

[7][8] A later profile described the buildings that were destroyed as "four churches, one gin, two blacksmith shops, two drug stores, one school, 3 other businesses, and seven residences.

[2] Amon G. Carter, publisher and promoter of Fort Worth, Texas, was born in a log cabin just outside of Crafton.