Cuthbert, Texas

Cuthbert is (or was!) located in Mitchell County northwest of Colorado City west of the intersection of Farm Roads 1229 and 1808. Go north from Colorado City on Texas Route 208 about eight miles, through Buford, to the intersection with Farm Road 1808 and turn left (west). After about eight more miles, 1808 becomes Farm Road 1229. What's left of Cuthbert is about 1.5 miles west on 1229.

At the time of my visit, there was nothing left to see except the cemetery. The funny thing is that, before you get to where Cuthbert was, there are actually road signs directing you there, along with mileage, just as there would be for any extant town. But when you actually get to where the town should be, there are no signs to tell you you're there. I actually drove past the location the first time, drove back past the supposed site more slowly, and did find the cemetery and a historical marker. I also found two other structures that might have been part of Cuthbert, but I couldn't confirm this. I also couldn't find any evidence of the structure and objects shown in photos in Baker's book.

The upper of the two photos below is of an old grocery store in Cuthbert taken by Baker in 1984. I could not find any specific evidence of this building, nor could I place it at the site I visited using any landmarks in this photo.

The lower photo is of some fallen gas pumps in Cuthbert. I couldn't find these, either.

Below are three photos showing the remains of various buildings in Cuthbert in October 1999. There was no way to tell what any of them might once have been.

Below is something recognizable—an old chair.

Below is one of the few things that told me that I was actually in Cuthbert, the cemetery. As I mention above, there was no sign along the side of the road indicating that I was in Cuthbert, even though there are highway signs right off of I-20 about six miles away indicating the way to Cuthbert.

Right in the center of this photo behind the ornate fence are two graves marked "Bozeman." They're the founders of the town.

Here's a wider shot of the cemetery giving a sense of the isolation of it and of the town.

Here's what looks like an old baseball diamond backstop, which was adjacent to the cemetery. In reading the historic marker for this and other towns, it seems that many of these old oil company towns sported baseball teams. It's thus not surprising to find an old diamond. Other than the cemetery, it's the only thing in Cuthbert that one can even reasonably speculate about the identity of.

The town's historical marker.

The marker says: "Founded in 1890 by D. T. Bozeman, teacher and merchant, on a main wagon road 16 miles northwest of Colorado (City). Town was named for Bozeman's neighbor, T. C. Cuthbertson. First postmaster was Mrs. Bozeman. A good well by Bozeman's store attracted freighters. First Cuthbert school opened in 1893. First rural telephone line in county was built in 1898 from Bozeman's home to Colorado (City). In 1907, Cuthbert boasted Bozeman's Store, G. W. Womack's General Store, a gin, blacksmith's shop, barber shop, church, and school. Post office closed 1959."

On April 10, 2007, I received an email from Sandra Farmer of Lone Oak, Texas. Mrs. Farmer has a strong connection to Cuthbert. The text of her email is below

My paternal grandparents and great grandparents are buried in Cuthbert Cemetery. My grandfather, Dr. J. H. Edwards, was the doctor in Cuthbert until his death in 1910 and my great aunt’s husband, W. C. Westfall, was the blacksmith. Also, I’d like to ask you when you were there do you remember an old dilapidated house a short ways from ‘town’? Did you happen to photograph it? [I did not see any such house during my visit in 1999.] The house belonged to my great grandparents and it burned to the ground in the late 1990’s, I believe. Sometime in the 1970’s, my grandmother and aunt bought the old post office and the grocery store...I think they were the two buildings shown on your site [these would be the building in Baker's photos at the top of this page]. I have a history of Cuthbert that was written by my aunt in 1974 which I’m more than willing to share with you, if you want. She passed away in 2000 and she, too, is buried in her beloved Cuthbert.

Mrs. Farmer's aunt's history is here.


Jacob H. and Ada Edwards	John T. Edwards (Mrs. Farmer's father), an unidentified cousin, and Sara Ruth Edwards (Mrs. Farmer's aunt and the author of the Cuthbert history) as children.