Abandoned Church and Night Sky Outing: Nov. 8, 2025

Join Master photographer John Nixon to capture the abandoned church and West Texas sky. It is about a 2.5-hour drive from Fort Worth to Bomarton.

  • 3-4 p.m. – Arrive at St. John Catholic Church, Bomarton, Texas
  • 5:30 p.m. – Sunset
  • 5:32 to 7:40 p.m. – Galactic center, the nucleus of the Milky Way, is visible. It is late in the year so it will not be as strong as it would be during the summer.
  • 8:26 p.m. – 90 percent moonrise; star trails and star point images
  • 2-3 a.m. – Departure

Bomarton was founded in 1906, when the Wichita Valley Railroad was extended from Seymour to Abilene. It was named for early settler W.H. Bomar. 

Between 1907 and 1914, the town added stores, a school, churches, two cotton gins, and a large open grazing area for milk cows and calves. Marketing and baseball games made Bomarton a lively center on Saturdays.

The population in the community was about 600 in 1940, but it began to decline after World War II and on into the 21st Century.