Emerald

Emerald is a ghost town in Crockett County, Texas, that briefly appeared poised to grow into something lasting. A mile-square plat of 300 lots was laid out, and the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway Company outfitted the town's well with a windmill, pump, and tank. After the well was dug in 1888, houses and other buildings began to go up, and a post office followed in 1890.

That same year, Ozona was designated the county seat, and Emerald effectively ceased to exist as a functioning community. Today it stands as a largely vanished settlement at roughly 2,425 feet elevation, with little remaining of the schoolhouse, store, or residences that once occupied the site.

Visitors drawn to Texas ghost towns will find Emerald a stark, quiet landscape rather than a place with standing structures to explore. Access and conditions in this part of West Texas can be demanding, so checking local road conditions before heading out is advisable.