Site of Old Communities of Mazeland and Wilmeth
Wilmeth, Runnels County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Mazeland (2 1/2 miles southwest) was founded in 1903 when a post office and store opened on A. B. Hutchinson's Ranch. Community was probably named for the corn or "maize" which grows in the area. A one-room school, built 1 mile west (1904), later served both places. By 1906 the settlement had enlarged, so this section was named in honor of Joe Wilmeth, a popular Ballinger banker. Before Wilmeth Post Office was established (1907) citizens would take turns bringing mail from Mazeland in horse-drawn wagons. In 1909, however, both post offices were discontinued.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Mazeland sprang up in 1903 when a post office and store opened on A. B. Hutchinson's ranch, likely named for the maize grown nearby. As settlement spread, a second community called Wilmeth was named in 1906 for a popular Ballinger banker, and residents took turns hauling mail by horse-drawn wagon between the two. Both post offices were shut down in 1909, and the little communities faded away.
Why it matters
Mazeland and Wilmeth are twin examples of the short-lived prairie settlements that flickered into being around a post office and store, only to disappear within a few years.
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Related people
- · A. B. Hutchinson
- · Joe Wilmeth
Themes & tags
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