Dido, Texas

Dido is a ghost town in Tarrant County, Texas. It is located 16 miles northwest of Fort Worth on the eastern shore of Eagle Mountain Lake.^[2] Dido, Texas, was deserted primarily because the arrival of railroads bypassed the town in the 1890s. This led to residents moving to be closer to the new rail lines, causing a significant population decline and eventual abandonment.

The town Dido was founded in 1848 and named after the mythological queen of Carthage.^[3] In 1888, a post office was built in town.^[4]

In the 1890s, recently constructed railroads, including the Texas and Pacific Railway and the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway, did not pass through Dido.^[5] As a result, residents of Dido moved closer to the railroad's routes, leading to a decline in the towns population.^[6]

In 1894, Isaac Van Zandt donated a portion of land to build a schoolhouse, a church, and the Dido Cemetery.^[7] The resulting Dido Methodist Church still houses a community center and hosts meetings of the local women's organization.^[8] Residents of the town host "Dido Days" on the last Sunday in April each year at the cemetery.^[9]

As of October 2024, the church and cemetery are bordered to the north, south, and west by a gated community under construction.^[10][11] The church and the cemetery were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.