Mars is a ghost town in Van Zandt County, Texas, United States.[1]

Mars, Texas
Ghost town
Mars, Texas Show map of Texas Mars, Texas Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 32°21′34″N 95°43′33″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Van Zandt
Elevation	459 ft (140 m)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID	2034766[1]

Once a retail center for the surrounding community, all that remains of the settlement is a church.

History

Mars was settled by brothers John and Henry Marrs.[2]

The settlement was a retail trading center, and had two mercantile stores, a blacksmith shop, and a cotton gin and grist mill.[2][3][4]

The Pleasant Ridge Church and school were established in 1871.[4] In 1916, the school consolidated to form the Clower Common School District (Clower is located approximately 15 mi (24 km) north of Mars).[4][5][6]

In 1891, a post office was established, originally called "Acme". The name was changed to "Mars" seven years later. The post office closed in 1907.[4][7]

The population of Mars was over 100 in 1915, and had declined to 50 in 1945.[2]

The Pleasant Ridge Church is all that remains of the settlement.[2]

References