Amateur historian Gary Taylor of Wylie does not have to travel far to pursue his passion as he documents a ghost town, the first toll road in Texas and an old cemetery that are all located, almost literally, in his front yard.

Taylor lives just outside the eastern city limits of Wylie and has spent the last few years documenting the ghost town of Eureka and its surroundings. Last year he published a reference book on the area that is available in Smith Public Library and school libraries.

He is in the process of seeking a Texas Historical Marker for Lee’s Toll Road, a 2-mile improved road that traversed bottomlands and the East Fork of the Trinity River. The road included 18 bridges and was topped with crushed rock.

“The Texas Historical Commission has been waiting for someone to submit an application for a historical marker for the toll road. They knew about it,” Taylor said. “That means thousands of people came through here.”

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By Joe Reavis • [email protected]