Question: What former Texas county seat is now a ghost town?
Answer: Belle Plain in Callahan County. It was established in 1876 and selected as the county seat in 1877. Belle Plain College was founded by the Methodist Church in 1881 and received acclaim for its music department. At its height, the town was home to some 400 residents, several businesses, a stone jail, and a newspaper.
Belle Plain declined rapidly when the railroad bypassed the town, and nearby Baird became the county seat in 1883. The college continued to operate until 1892, and a historical marker was erected at the site of its ruins in 1969.
