Oak Forest

Oak Forest is a vanished settlement about five miles west of Gonzales in Gonzales County, Texas. It grew up along what is now U.S. Highway 90 Alternate and CR 143, hugging the bank of the Guadalupe River just south of present-day Palmetto State Park.

The site has an industrial thread running through its past. A mill once operated here, and that infrastructure was later converted into a power dam — one that gave way during a flood in 1935. The dam was subsequently rebuilt, and the area still functions as an energy-producing site today. A small reservoir known as MA Wade Dam remains active near the original location, making it the most tangible remnant of Oak Forest's long history.

Visitors won't find a townsite with ruins or marked historic structures. The draw is the river corridor setting and the curiosity of a working hydroelectric dam where a ghost town once stood. Palmetto State Park nearby offers a practical base for exploring the area. Access via Highway 90 Alternate is straightforward year-round, though the Guadalupe River bottom can flood seasonally.