Caseyville Community

Caseyville or Kazeyville community was located on the east Brazos River, eight miles south of Graham or two miles west of Bunger.

In 1874, Young County records show a ferry operated near this location across the Brazos River by Mr. Bartlett. The ferry is mentioned during the elections for the Young County seat during its reorganization elections. The name of the ferry was the "K Z" ferry and was the first ferry located in Young County on the Brazos River and one of four in the county at one time. The town of Kazeyville grew up around this ferry due to the quicksand and flooding on the river

In 1879, John Wesley Casey and George Ayneseworth purchased the land where the community was located. By 1880, John Casey was running the "K Z" ferry. Existing pictures of the ferry show it was more of a barge with a rope-pulley system across this narrow part of the Brazos River.

John Casey constructed the second horse-powered cotton gin and corn mill in the county and re-named the location, Caseyville. County records show many family built homes away from the site due to the flooding of the Brazos river. John Casey started a general store as well as a blacksmith shop. The town boasted of two general stores, a cotton gin, corn mill, two blacksmith shops and a drug store.

The "K Z" ferry was sold to J.N. Bellomy in 1884 who moved the ferry up the river, toward the community of Arkansas, later known as South Bend.

Young County Scholastic records show a Caseyville school from 1881-1885 near the site of the town. Caseyville began to diminish in 1887, but when the Brazos River bridge was built in 1893, the town was almost gone. Caseyville was destroyed by one of the frequent floods on the Brazos in 1893.

The ruins of the town of Caseyville are located on private property and "No Trespassing" signs are posted.

submitted by: Dorman Holub