Thorndale, TX

Thorndale has a town story with a literal relocation. The first plat was recorded in 1878 about two miles west of today's site, after the International-Great Northern Railroad reached the area. In 1880, W. S. Caruthers bought the buildings, had them moved across the Williamson-Milam county line, and set the town beside the tracks. The railroad name stayed, taken from the thorny mesquite, prickly pear, and sagebrush around the original site. Farming made Thorndale a shipping and supply stop, while the old downtown still holds commercial buildings from its rail-and-cotton years. On U.S. 79, Thorndale is a Central Texas town that changed counties without changing its name.