SPOOKY, Empty Towns In Rural, Forgotten Texas

Watching from the west of Ireland, I'll tell you one thing, if a gang of us Irish landed over to that town for a weekend, we would soon bring it back to life

Watching from Africa. I like your videos. No silly background music, no swift camera movements and narration is calm and clear. Tks. 😊

Thanks for never being mean or rude to people, places or things that might be less fortunate than we.

Harlon Block was born in Yorktown, Texas. He is one of the soldiers depicted raising the American flag at Iwo Jima! Oscar Eckhardt was born in Yorktown, Texas. He was a two way Star for The MLB Boston, Braves & Brooklyn Dodgers, and The NFL New York Giants! He was a star athlete for the Texas Longhorns! Santiago J Erevia a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his service in The Vietnam War, was born in Nordhiem Texas. Claude Davenport. MLB Player And Mike Gisler, NFL Player were both born in Runge Texas!

This is journalism done right. People need to be schooled on the history and importance rural America holds. Thank you for the hard work!

I'm always impressed with how we don't see anyone walking in these towns

The two story house you looked at (19:15 mark) with the big porch in Yorktown was where I grew up between 1960 and 1980. Back then, it was surrounded by no less than 13 pecan trees that formed a beautiful canopy around the yard. There were also two beautiful magnolias in the front yard. There's a legend that the actress/stripper/burlesque show dancer Candy Barr (real name Juanita Slusher) stayed there at one time. I can neither confirm nor deny that, but I do know that her uncle and aunt owned it at one time. Thanks for the video!

Those cows think you will feed them.🥰

Dollar generals slogan should be “when there’s no other store around you can always find us”

I swear I have become fully addicted to these videos. The narration, the filming, the research...it's just so perfect.

The cattle want you to feed them.

To me, these towns look like long abandoned film sets from the forties and fifties. Surreal, forgotten, sad, a bit creepy but still fascinating.

Welcome to one of my favorite parts of Texas. My wife is from Yorktown, and that is where we were married. We left there back in 2015. Married in Yorktown in 2016, and moved back to my home state of Florida is 2017. We also lived in Runge for a while, my mother in law still lives there. We come back every year to visit. My father in law lives in Yorktown. My wife’s grandfather lived in Nordheim and we still have our family reunion there every year. And I used to eat lunch in Smiley multiple times a week! You ever want some history, let me know. Lol!

I sat down with my morning coffee and I was just thinking "I could go for a nice Joe and Nic video right now... and BAM! Like magic this pops up...

Watching from Africa. I like your videos. No silly background music, no swift camera movements and narration is calm and clear. Tks.

Thank you, Joe! My father was born and raised in Yorktown, my mother in Nordheim. I was last inside of the Yorktown Memorial Hospital visiting my grandfather in 1968. Still have a few cousins living in both towns. My mother's father was from Runge. I haven't been to the area since 2018, though one side of the family still have our annual family reunion in Yorktown. An interesting note about Nordheim - it was the small-town backdrop in Wim Wender's film "Paris, Texas". My uncle's pickup truck was one of the "props". Too bad that you missed the "shooting club hall" further down from the Lutheran church...it is quite a nice structure, a large 1920s wooden dance hall which was still in nice condition and in use 5 years ago.

Those cattle were really happy to see you, Joe ! They probably don't get to see many people in rural places like these. They actually were really pretty & soft-faced animals. A lot of times when they approach you like that, it means "feeding time" by the farmer. I love your videos ! You make excellent videos that some people have never seen that way of life & living before. Blessings to you & Nic 😊

The silence, the old houses, the centennial trees... the truth of the rural way of life in Texas. Thank you Joe.

In 1982 I moved to Westhoff, TX, rented a house from a old lady there and went to work in Yorktown, Texas. Met and married my wife who was from Cuero, Texas in 1985. Since then, we have moved to about every corner of Texas. Now my wife and I live west of Victoria. That bar & Grill in Norheim is supposed to have some of the best food from miles around. Also, if you had driven to the north end of Norheim, you would have run into the Shooting Club, a big dance hall in its time. Keep up the magnificent work, I enjoy all the ones of Texas and the mid-west. Thanks for sharing, Ken

No residential sidewalks except for little spots in Runge. These towns were supported by automobiles starting in the 20’s, and then over time hollowed out by them. When the Dollar Store shows up in your town, watch out: it means you don’t have enough community strength to meet your retail needs.