Do You Know Why Texas Would Need 6 Different Towns Named Wayside?

Recently, I made a trip out to Wayside, Texas in Armstrong County. I saw the old school house, community church, historic cemetery, and Quanah Parker Trail Arrow. I was content with my trip out to the fabled hamlet, until someone told me there was more. Five more, to be exact.

Do you know why Texas needs 6 different towns named Wayside?

Get our free mobile app

I Hope You're Ready To Be Confused. Texas Has Six Towns Named Wayside.

It's a bit much, really. I can understand one, maybe two towns being named Wayside. Six, though? That's a Texas sized amount of overkill if you ask me.

Plus, it's confusing as hell.

What if you lived in Wayside, Armstrong County and your mother, who is trying to get the family holiday arranged, lives in Wayside, Bastrop County (even though a case could be made saying it doesn't even exist anymore)? Which Wayside are going to, hotshot?

It's like the old "Who's on first" gag, but with a map of Texas. Even more hilarious, is that they're split even between the high plains and central Texas. Even funnier than that, is that they aren't really that far from one another in some cases.

Wayside, Texas. The Trio On The High Plains.

On the Llano Estacado, nestled on the high plains, rests three of the six Texas towns named Wayside. They are:

• Wayside, Armstrong County (near Palo Duro Canyon)
• Wayside, Roberts County (think Pampa area)
• Wayside, Lynn County (Lubbock is the closest big city to it)

All three are technically unincorporated communities.

Wayside, Texas. The Trio Of Central Texas.

In central Texas, the three Waysides come from three separate counties as well. They are:

• Wayside, Bastrop County (no trace existed on county highway maps by the 1940s)
• Wayside, Wood County (school and community simply disappeared by the 1930s)
• Wayside, Panola County (no longer appeared on highway maps in the 1930s)

What's interesting is that most of them all sprang up around the same time, and as you can see they all disappeared around the same time.

Why So Many Waysides In Texas?

Was there an original Wayside, and they sent out Wayside apostles to found new Waysides? Was it one person who just liked the name? Unlikely, considering the histories that are available.

It's really anyone's guess as to why that name in particular is/was so popular. I like to think it can be summed up with the old saying; if some is good, more's better.