Old Carolina (Although once called Bath, not to be confused with Bath to the South)
Old Carolina, also known as Carolina or originally Bath, is a
historical ghost town in Walker County, Texas. It was a short-lived
river port and health resort community that
emerged in the early 19th century before declining and being abandoned,
primarily due to the end of the steamboat era on the Trinity River. It
is listed among Walker County's five primary ghost towns, alongside
Cincinnati, Newport, Tuscaloosa, and Elmina.
Location:
Old Carolina was situated at the mouth of Carolina Creek
where it empties into the west bank of the Trinity River, in the
extreme northeastern part of Walker County. The site was on a decided
bend in the river with high bluffs, providing scenic views and
accessible water access. It was part of the John H. Cummings land grant
and located northeast of Huntsville, the county seat. The town was laid
out into 10 blocks. It must be distinguished from another Bath in
southwestern Walker
County, a Carolina on Carolina Creek in San Jacinto County, and
Carolina Switch on the Missouri Pacific railroad line. By 1990, the
site was within the limits of the Waterwood community on
Lake Livingston, along the Walker-San Jacinto county line. Today, the
former townsite shows no indication that a settlement ever existed
there.
Founding and Early Development:
The settlement was founded in the 1830s
on land granted to John H. Cummings by the Mexican government on
January 5, 1835, with part of the league fronting the Trinity River.
Originally named Bath due to the region's therapeutic iron and sulfur
springs along Carolina Creek, it served as a health spa where people
from surrounding areas came to drink the mineral waters believed to
have medicinal qualities. The name changed to Carolina around 1838,
possibly in honor of early settler Carolina Shores. As steamboat travel
on the Trinity River grew in popularity, Carolina
became the first river port in the area, functioning as a refueling and
rest station for vessels. This led to rapid early growth, though
accessibility was hindered by poor roads that were often muddy and
impassable. By the early 1840s, the community had a population of about
a dozen people and was granted a post office.
Peak and Daily Life:
Old Carolina is considered the oldest riverboat
town in Walker County, predating nearby Cincinnati by two or three
years, and owed its existence primarily to steamboat traffic on the
Trinity River. At its height in the mid-1840s, the population reached
around 20
residents, with a defunct store and an operational post office. Daily
life revolved around its roles as a health resort attracting
visitors for the sulfur springs and as a small port for river commerce.
It was one of several prosperous communities in northern Walker County
reliant on the river, though specific details on businesses,
infrastructure, or social activities beyond the spa and port functions
are limited in historical records.
Decline and Abandonment:
The town's prosperity was short-lived,
dwindling away within a few years as steamboat traffic on the Trinity
River declined. The arrival of the railroad in the 1870s further shifted commerce away
from river ports, leading to the abandonment of Old Carolina and
similar towns along the Trinity. By the late 19th century, the settlement had disappeared entirely.
Historical Recognition and Remnants:
No specific remnants, such as
buildings, cemeteries, or markers, are documented at the site today,
with no visible indications of the former town. It appears on
historical maps, including a 1867 map from the Texas
General Land Office showing its location northeast of Huntsville. The
site is now submerged or incorporated into the area around Lake
Livingston, created in the late 1960s, within the Waterwood community.
Unlike some other Walker County ghost towns (e.g., Cincinnati with a
1936 state marker and cemetery, or Newport with a similar marker and
cemetery), Old Carolina lacks dedicated historical markers or preserved
sites.
Historical accounts are preserved in sources like the Handbook of Texas and local county histories.
John H. Cummings and Old Carolina, Texas
John H. Cummings is primarily known in Texas history as the recipient
of a Mexican land grant on January 5, 1835, for a league of land
(approximately 4,428 acres) in what became northeastern Walker County.
This grant was located along the west bank of the Trinity River at the
mouth of Carolina Creek. The settlement of Old Carolina (originally
named Bath) was established on this land in the 1830s, making Cummings
a foundational figure in the area's early development. No detailed
personal biography, such as exact birth or death dates, occupation
beyond land ownership, or family details, is provided in primary
historical sources about the town. He is not listed in major Texas
biographical dictionaries or censuses tied directly to Walker County in
available records.
Genealogical research suggests a possible match to a John H. Cummings
born around 1800 in Pennsylvania, son of Dr. Samuel Maxwell Cummings
Sr. (born ca. 1763 in Stokesley, Yorkshire District, England; died
September 12, 1826, in Oswego, Sumter County, South Carolina) and his
first wife, Mary P. (born 1770 in England; died ca. 1800 in South
Carolina). Dr. Samuel Cummings emigrated from England to Pennsylvania
in 1786 and moved to South Carolina around 1800. He remarried Susanna
Magdalen Micheau (born May 4, 1778, in Charleston District, South
Carolina; died January 3, 1849, in Oswego, Sumter County, South
Carolina) in 1805. Siblings of this John H. Cummings (from the first
marriage) included Mary Ann (born ca. 1793), Samuel Maxwell Jr. (born
ca. 1795), and Richard (born ca. 1798). This John H. Cummings is
estimated to have died around 1830, though this date conflicts with the
1835 land grant, suggesting either an error in the death estimate or
that this is a different individual. He married an unknown spouse and
had one known child, Nelson Cummings (born about 1828 in South
Carolina; married Nancy around 1847 in Georgia; she died about 1858).
Nelson's descendants migrated to Texas post-Civil War (around
1869–1870), settling in counties like Grimes, Milam, Houston,
Montgomery, and Bosque, with many involved in farming. Notable
descendants include James Wilson Cummings (born December 13, 1848, in
Georgia; died December 13, 1910, in Montgomery County, Texas; served in
the Confederate Army), who had multiple children born in Texas, such as
Cora Cummings (born 1874; died 1972) and Lee Washington Cummings (born
1884; died 1973). However, without direct confirmation, the link
between this genealogical line and the Texas land grantee remains
tentative.
No other personal details—such as immigration to Texas, specific role
in settling Old Carolina, or involvement in local events like the Texas
Revolution—are documented in historical accounts. Extensive searches
across Texas land records, genealogies, and local histories yield no
additional information beyond the land grant association.Old Carolina,
Texas (Connection to John H. Cummings)Old Carolina, a ghost town in
northeastern Walker County, was founded on Cummings' 1835 land grant.
Originally called Bath (to distinguish it from another Bath in
southwestern Walker County), it was renamed Carolina around 1838,
possibly after early settler Carolina Shores. The town was laid out
into ten blocks and featured iron and sulfur mineral springs,
functioning as a health spa that attracted visitors from surrounding
areas for their believed medicinal properties. It served as a key
refueling and rest station for steamboats on the Trinity River, making
it the oldest riverboat town in Walker County (predating Cincinnati by
2–3 years). By 1843, the population was about 12; by 1844, it had grown
to around 20 residents, with a defunct store and a post office.
Accessibility was poor due to muddy, impassable roads, despite its
scenic location on high bluffs at a river bend. The town's prosperity
tied to river traffic; with the decline of steamboats in favor of
railroads (e.g., the nearby Missouri Pacific line), it faded by the
late 19th century and disappeared entirely. By 1990, the site was
absorbed into Waterwood, a development on Lake Livingston along the
Walker-San Jacinto county line. Today, no visible remnants exist, and
it is listed among Walker County's primary ghost towns, including
Cincinnati, Newport, Tuscaloosa, and Elmina.
Excerpt from;
Early History Of Walker County, Texas
by John L. Baldwin
Chapter VII
Carolina
Carolina was the oldest riverboat town in Walker County, pre-dating
Cincinnati by 2 or 3 years. On January 5, 1835, John H. Cummings received
a league of land from the Mexican Government. His survey was located in
the extreme northeastern part of the area which was later to become Walker
County, and part of the league fronted on the Trinity River. At the mouth
of Carolina Creek, where it empties into the river, the town of Carolina was
established. The Trinity makes a decided bend there, and the high bluffs
in the are offered a beautiful location for a town which was easily accessible
to the water. Carolina was laid into 10 blocks.
With steamboat travel becoming more popular and the town being the first
river portion this area, Carolina enjoyed a rapid growth from the very
beginning. Another factor in its advancement was that there were a number
of sulphur springs nearby along Carolina Creek. In those days people were
of the opinion that sulphur water had excellent medicinal qualities, and soon
the town became quite famous resort for this area of Texas. People came
from all of the surrounding counties to cure their ailments by drinking the
water. (Mrs. Helen Walterman, Riverside)
One disadvantage possessed by Carolina was its poor accessibility by
road. What few roads were there were usually remained in poor state, and
were often impassable because of mud.
Thus in a few short years the prosperous little town dwindles away to
nothing. Today there is no indication that a town ever existed on this
site.
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Old Carolina was an early settlement at the mouth of Carolina Creek on
the west bank of the Trinity River, in the John H. Cummings land grant
in northeastern Walker County. The community was originally called Bath.
It must be distinguished from the Bath in the southwestern part of the
county, as well as from the Carolina located on Carolina Creek in San
Jacinto County and the Carolina Switch on the Missouri Pacific line. Old
Carolina had several iron and sulfur springs and served as a health
spa. The town was founded in the 1830s and probably changed its name to
Carolina, possibly in honor of early settler Carolina Shores, around
1838. In 1843 the settlement had a population of twelve. A year later it
comprised twenty people, a defunct store, and a post office. Old
Carolina served as a refueling and rest station for vessels plying the
Trinity River. With the passing of the steamboat era, it disappeared,
and in 1990 the site was within the limits of Waterwood on Lake
Livingston, on the Walker-San Jacinto county line. TSHA
Texas State Historical Association
https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/old-carolina-tx
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Carolina%2C_Texas
Texas Escapes
http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/Texas-Ghost-Towns-6-East-Texas.htm