Yorktown
Memorial
Hospital

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Yorktown
Memorial
Hospital

Yorktown Memorial HospitalYorktown Memorial HospitalYorktown Memorial Hospital
Home
About Us
History of Yorktown
Video & Photo Gallery
Submit Your Experiences
Blog
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FAQ
Gift Shop
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Archival images of Yorktown, Texas.

The Haunting Origins of Yorktown, Texas

Tucked deep within the plains of southwestern DeWitt County, where the shadows stretch long over the prairie, lies Yorktown, a town with a past as blood-stained as its soil. Located along the lonely stretch of Texas State Highway 72 near the restless waters of Coleto Creek, Yorktown stands 75 miles east of San Antonio and 36 miles northwest of Victoria. But don’t let its peaceful appearance fool you—this land carries the weight of violence, loss, and spectral echoes from another time.


The story began in 1846, when Captain John York—a man both revered and feared—settled near Coleto Creek. A ruthless Native American fighter and hardened landowner, York had carved his name into South Texas history through brutal campaigns against Native Americans. He had earned accolades during the Texas Revolution, including at the bloody Battle of Bexar, where he helped defeat General Cos and his 1,500 soldiers. For his efforts, York was “rewarded” with vast tracts of land. Land taken from the very people he fought.


Intent on claiming and profiting from the region, York envisioned a thriving settlement. In 1846, he moved to Yorktown Creek and began to lay the foundation for what would become Yorktown. Alongside Charles Eckhardt, a merchant from Indianola, they plotted a trading route and townsite. By 1848, the first log cabin stood—a lonely outpost surrounded by wild country and whispering winds.


But the land would not give in without blood.


Later that same year, Captain York met a violent end, killed by Native Americans defending their ancestral ground. Just months after laying the town’s foundation, York’s blood was spilled into the earth he had claimed for himself. The town would bear his name—but not his legacy. Not long after, Eckhardt too would perish, succumbing to yellow fever at sea. He was buried far from the town he helped build, in the shadowy tombs of New Orleans.


Though their bodies were gone, some say their spirits never left. The settlement survived, fed by the hopes of German and Polish immigrants who journeyed the Old Indianola Trail in search of something better. They were promised ten acres and a plot of land—many accepted, unaware of the haunted past beneath their feet. The roots of these first families run deep, and to this day, their descendants still walk the streets… some say guided by more than just memory.


Yorktown grew slowly. A school opened in 1853. A church in 1857. The Aransas Pass Railway arrived in 1886—just a mile south, stirring promises of progress. By 1898, the town buzzed quietly with life: blacksmiths, cotton gins, saloons… and rumors. Whispers of shadow figures on old trails, strange lights, and an unease that settled into the bones of anyone who stayed too long.


Yorktown is a place where cultures collided—and sometimes, still do. With German, Bohemian, and Polish legacies intertwined, it holds a strange, sacred tension. While Panna Maria may claim the title of the oldest permanent Polish settlement in the U.S., many of those early settlers eventually made their way here—bringing with them old-country superstitions. 


Today, Yorktown embraces its roots with the annual Western Days Festival, a celebration of frontier spirit and survival. The original Charles Eckhardt Store, fully restored, now serves as a museum of the town’s past—though some say its walls remember too much. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building holds more than artifacts… it holds secrets.


As of 2023, just under 2,000 souls call Yorktown home. But according to some, they are not alone. Some towns are built on dreams others are built on resilience. Yorktown is one or resilient small Texas town.

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  • About Us
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