Texla is a ghost town in Orange County, Texas. It sits roughly 2.3 km (1.4 mi) NW of Mauriceville.
Texla is a ghost town in northern Orange County, Texas, United States, in the southeastern part of the state. It is located northwest of Orange, just west of Mauriceville. The site was originally called Bruce, after the postmaster Charles G. Bruce, who served when the office opened in 1905. The first sawmill to operate there was known as the Harrell-Votaw Lumber Company with proximity to the Orange and Northwestern Railway. The following year, the R. W. Wier Lumber Company out of Houston took over operations. The site (and the post office) was renamed Texla, due to its proximity to Louisiana. The owner Wier sold out to the Miller-Link Lumber Company in 1917. The peak population of the town reached an estimated 600 residents. In 1918 the mill was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt in 1919 with a double-circular mill of the same size. Within a year, the Peavy-Moore Lumber Company of...From the Wikipedia article “Texla, Texas”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Texla the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 83° in summer but only 36° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:20 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:15 AM | 62° ENE | 8:21 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:09 AM | 117° ESE | 5:20 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 12m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 25m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 08m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:24 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 54m |
| May | 5:56 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 40m |
| June | 5:47 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 05m |
| July | 5:58 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 55m |
| August | 6:18 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:26 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 15m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:10 PM | 11h 28m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 38m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 13m |
Local time (America/Chicago), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Texla, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 31° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:36 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:44 AM – 6:04 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:47 AM – 5:17 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 11:44 PM – 4:44 AM | 5.0 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:57 PM – 4:37 AM | 6.7 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:54 PM – 3:04 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:25 PM – 1:05 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 11:04 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:06 PM – 9:06 PM | 1.0 | 19° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.47 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 78 | 82 | 88 | 96 | 102 | 106 | 106 | 108 | 105 | 95 | 89 | 82 |
| Low °F | 17 | 20 | 22 | 35 | 42 | 60 | 65 | 57 | 48 | 34 | 24 | 23 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 5.0 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this ghost town
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Texla, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Texla?
What time is golden hour at Texla?
Where does the sun rise and set at Texla?
Can you see the Milky Way from Texla?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Texla?
How far is Texla from Mauriceville?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.