This Is The Scrappiest Little Town In Texas: Wayside

Nestled away in Armstrong county, hidden among wide open fields of the Texas panhandle, sits the tiny community of Wayside. While some may accuse it of being a ghost town, they couldn't be more wrong.

Don't believe what you've heard. Wayside is not a ghost town.

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Perched On The Southern Edge Of Palo Duro Canyon

That's where you'll find Wayside. To be fair to those who claim that Wayside is a ghost town, if you blink you are very likely to miss driving through Wayside. It is true that there isn't much in Wayside.

But there's a certain kind of charm to that.

I drove out to Wayside to take a look and see the old school house, the historic cemetery, and the Quanah Parker Trail Arrow that resides outside of the community church.

There's Still Life In Wayside, Texas

Wayside was name for being on the "way side" of the canyon. Makes a lot of sense considering how close you are to the southern rim of Palo Duro Canyon.

In 1967, it's reported that the population in Wayside was around 100. There were a few businesses, and they had the post office.

The population started to dwindle, and supposedly by 2010 the population was down to 40.

No matter what the population size is, there have been posts online about the fence being redone recently at the cemetery.

The cemetery fence is a biggie, to me. If you have folks still willing to care for their dead, then there is life yet in the community.

The church is there with a sign showing service times. I'm pretty sure I even passed the post office.

Why Do People Keep Saying It's A Ghost Town?

That might has something to do with the abandoned school house. I was really interested in seeing it for myself after having read so many accounts of people who had attended school there.

Though it's been a long time since students have used the classrooms in this building, I still love the design. It reminds me a lot of a school I attended when I was in the third grade.

Don't count Wayside out as a ghost town just yet. There's still plenty of life in the town on the way side of the canyon.