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Kimball, Texas is located at the current Hwy 174 bridge "Kimball Bridge" that crosses the Brazos River just north of Kopperl.  The town of Kimball is now a ghost town, but at one time was home to a thriving society.  The town was established in 1853 by Judge John Kimball from New York.  He bought the property from Jacob DeCordova.  The town was plated by McLennan and Erath.  It had a gin, numerous stores, several churches, two schools and more saloons than could be counted.  The town's cemetery had over 600 burials.  The towns population slowly declined after the Santa Fe Railroad chose to miss the town by three miles for a narrower crossing of the river near modern day Kopperl.  The town existed until about 1910 and had several residences left when the federal government bought out the remaining people in 1947 for the construction of Lake Whitney by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 

Kimball was the site of one of the main Brazos River crossings on the famous Chisolm Trail.  Throughout the late 1800s millions of cattle were drove from South Texas to northern railroad depots on the Chisolm Trail.  Kimball was not only a cattle crossing but was also a stopping point for these cowboys to enjoy the many saloons.

The town is now located within Kimball Bend Park. Several old concrete foundations dating back to the 1870s remain along with the Academy. This was the school building and town meeting center. It is constructed out of cut limestone with arched windows fitted with keystones. There are even old town streets still discernable .

1907 Map Showing Kimball.jpg

1907 Map of Bosque County Showing Kimball

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