Peach Creek: A Historic Ghost Town on the Banks of the San Bernard

Peach Creek was an early settlement and later ghost town located in eastern Wharton County, Texas, along the stream of the same name. The creek itself flows southeast for about 27 miles through the county before joining the San Bernard River about eight miles southeast of Wharton.

Early Land Grants and Settlement

The area that became Peach Creek lay within land grants issued during Stephen F. Austin’s colonization of Texas. In 1824, William Kincheloe and Alexander Jackson, Sr., both members of Austin’s “Old Three Hundred,” received leagues of land that bordered the creek. By the late 1830s, modest settlement activity was taking place in the region.

Postal Stations and Republic of Texas Period

Mail service in the Peach Creek community began during the Republic of Texas years.

• In the mid-1830s, Isham B. Phillips operated a postal station in the area.

• In 1839, a second station, called Kincheloe’s Crossing, opened with Alexander Jackson, Jr. serving as postmaster.

These stations provided important communication links for scattered settlers in Wharton County.

County Formation and Decline

When Wharton County was officially organized in 1846, local leaders debated the location of the county seat. Landowners in the Peach Creek area offered a site for consideration, but the county seat was ultimately established in Wharton. As a result, Peach Creek lost influence as a potential civic center.

Postal service was discontinued on July 1, 1847, and mail for area residents was redirected through Wharton. Without a post office or county functions, the small settlement soon declined as nearby towns developed along emerging trade routes.

Present Status

Today, Peach Creek is classified as a ghost town. No significant community structures remain, and its identity survives primarily through references in historical records and maps. The creek itself endures as the lasting landmark, marking the landscape and linking back to one of the earliest settlement areas in Wharton County.

Key Facts

• Location: Eastern Wharton County, Texas, along Peach Creek.

• Creek Length: About 27 miles, flowing into the San Bernard River.

• Old Three Hundred Land Grants: William Kincheloe and Alexander Jackson, Sr. (1824).

• Postal History:

  • Isham B. Phillips, first postal station (Republic era).

  • Kincheloe’s Crossing (1839) with Alexander Jackson, Jr. as postmaster.

  • Discontinued July 1, 1847.

• County Seat Debate: Offered as a site in 1846 but passed over in favor of Wharton.

• Current Status: Ghost town; name persists in historical references, creek still flows.