Gordon, TX

Gordon was planned around the railroad. Hampton began here in 1864; the Texas and Pacific Railway laid out Gordon one mile south in 1874 and gave the town the name of the civil engineer who surveyed the site. The railroad reached Gordon in 1880, first classes at Gordon School began in 1882, and the post office opened on October 17, 1883. The town reported 1,000 residents in 1920 before the Great Depression helped pull the population below 500 by 1960.

Today's Gordon still lines up its identity with school and service addresses. Gordon Independent School District is a rural A district about 60 miles west of Fort Worth, with about 215 students and a campus at 305 North Main Street. Gordon's current civic addresses include a fire department, health clinic, public library, post office, and county services, while the Texas countryside spreads around the town. The school keeps a single address in town, and Gordon remains a railroad-planned place with a clear current landmark.