Laurelia

Laurelia is a ghost town in central Polk County, Texas, with roots in the sawmill industry. The settlement took shape after Judge Claiborne Holshausen erected a sawmill in 1880, and the surrounding community grew to take its name from the laurel trees that characterized the landscape. The mill functioned as the town's economic heart, and when it burned down in 1913, Laurelia steadily declined into abandonment.

Visitors today will find little more than a quiet rural setting. The reference facts do not document standing structures, marked access points, or maintained facilities, so those exploring the site should expect an overgrown, largely unmarked location rather than a developed historic site. Photography of the surrounding landscape is the most realistic activity.