Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Mills County, Texas

William's Ranch

Ghost town in Texas, United States.

Record

About William's Ranch

Williams Ranch is a ghost town located in Mills County, Texas, and is considered the oldest community in the county. It is named after John Williams, who settled there in 1855 when the area was in Brown County, Texas.

This is a site record: what public sources say about William's Ranch, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where William's Ranch is

USGS topographic map around William's Ranch
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

12 historic USGS maps cover William's Ranch

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near William's Ranch

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Texas index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "William's Ranch": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Williams Ranch, Texas": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q8021086.
  4. USGS GNIS 1954383.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).