A Return To Ponta
After we made our first trip to Ponta, Texas, (pronounced “Pon-tay”) we felt like our first look just didn’t do it justice; and we wished we’d taken a closer look at it. So, since it’s only about an hour and a half from us, we made plans to go spend some more time there.
You’ll probably remember that Ponta was a thriving little community back in the early 1900′s. It had a bank, several churches, a school, a Masonic Lodge, a livery stable, a couple of gins, a railroad station, a hotel, a doctor’s office, a drug store, a bunch of plant nurseries, a crate factory, a post office, and a huge logging industry.
Unfortunately the railroad route going through the town was shut down, which led to much of the industry leaving town. The Lodge was moved to another town; and the school was consolidated with one in another town; and most of the jobs were gone. It also didn’t help when the new highways were built, bypassing the main part of town. Ponta ended up being mostly a collection of residences, and a church or two.
The majority of the older buildings have disappeared, but this is what remains of the old livery stable. Today, it’s owned by Robert Cheatham, who’s very familiar with the history of Ponta. The stable, which is in the center of the photo, was built in 1901; and the building to the left was the carriage house.
Robert remembers when the bank building was still there, because he was the one who finally tore it down. The next photo is all that remains of the bank: its foundation. Interestingly, when he tore it down, Robert discovered that even though the vault had a huge, heavy steel door, the floor in the vault was just made of wood. Anyone with a saw could have crawled under the building and easily cut their way right into the vault.
After the bank was closed, the building served as a feed store for a while. This second building, which was located right behind the bank, was part of the feed store. Smaller items like sacks of feed were kept in the old bank building, and larger items like bales of hay were kept out in this building around back.
You might have heard of the recent tragic accident when a small Cessna flew into a TV broadcasting tower’s guy wires near Ponta, resulting in the death of the pilot. That tower can be seen on the right side of this photo.
Robert was one of the few people who heard the accident when it occurred. His description of the sound that was made when the airplane struck the wires was bone-chilling. Coincidentally, the day of the accident was the day of our first visit to Ponta.
The Texas and new Orleans Railroad ran through town just past this intersection, which is right by where the bank once was. These days, there isn’t even a trace of the tracks. The station building was eventually moved to another town and turned into a residence.
The town’s postmaster lived in this little house.
Not all of the Ponta School remains, but the auditorium is still standing. Now, it’s used as a community center where folks can gather for various events.
There are a lot of interesting things to be seen in Ponta! We’re glad we went back for more.
