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Shakespeare Ghost Town
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Buildings in Shakespeare
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| Location: | Hidalgo County, New Mexico |
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| Nearest city: | Lordsburg, New Mexico |
| Architectural style: | Greek Revival, Mexican Village |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 73001141[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | July 16, 1973 |
Shakespeare, formerly known variously as Mexican Springs, Grant, and Ralston City, is a ghost town in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States. It is currently part of a privately-owned ranch, sometimes open to tourists. The entire community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1]
Founded as a rest stop called Mexican Springs along a stagecoach route, it was renamed Grant after the Civil War, after General U. S. Grant. When silver was discovered nearby it became a mining town called Ralston City, named after financier William Chapman Ralston. It was finally renamed Shakespeare, and was abandoned when the mines closed in 1929.
On November 9, 1881, Old West outlaws "Russian Bill" Tattenbaum and Sandy King, both cattle rustlers and former members of the Clanton faction of Charleston, Arizona, were lynched in Shakespeare, and their bodies were left hanging for several days as a reminder to others that lawlessness would not be tolerated. The two had been captured by gunman "Dangerous Dan" Tucker, who at the time was the Shakespeare Town Marshal.
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