The Legend of ‘Baby Graves’ in a Ghost Town near Amarillo, Texas
Texas is littered with ghost towns and old homesteads. One of those has a strange, sad story that ends with you never going there.
Welcome To Plemons, Texas
Plemons, as it is now, is unreachable by almost all accounts. What used to be a bustling hub on the high plains is now private property. Most of the buildings are gone. But the history left behind is the stuff of Texas legend.
It Started As A River Crossing
According to legend (I love saying that) Plemons got its start because it was basically the safest place to cross the Canadian River. The stories go that Barney Plemons had a horse that could "sense" quicksand bogs in the Canadian River.
This was a useful little gift the horse had, as the quicksand could prove to be deadly to those trying to cross.
The legend goes on to state that he found a bend in the river where there was easy access and started up a crossing business; and business was a-booming. The spot became known as Plemons Crossing.
Soon A Town Sprang Up
The story goes that soon shops sprang up, and people began settling down in Plemons Crossing. When the panhandle got split into counties, they shortened the name to just Plemons.
Not sure why, but that's how the story goes.
It would be named the Hutchinson County seat.
Stinnett Vs. Plemons
The railroad heading into Amarillo from Kansas bypassed Plemons on its way through, and this gave rise to another little town named Stinnett. Except, Stinnett wouldn't stay little for very long. The railroad saw to that.
According to legend, there wasn't much love between the two panhandle towns. This is what makes the next part so interesting.
The Plemmons-Stinnett Dance And Theft Of The County Seat
Supposedly a group from Stinnett made the trip to Plemons to invite everyone over for a big party being thrown in honor of the people of Plemons. There would be food, beer, dancing, and music. But that's not all there was.
Legend has it that while the people of Plemons were having a good time, the people of Stinnett snuck into the courthouse and stole everything. From furniture to important documents, they took it all.
That following week, the Hutchinson County Court House opened in what was supposed to be just a dance hall in Stinnett. The people of Plemons had been hoodwinked. A vote was cast, and the county seat was moved.
The End Of Plemons
That was pretty much it for Plemons. People trickled out, and eventually, it became a ghost town. The land it's on became privately owned, and a lot of people forgot it ever existed. Except for the ghost stories.
Ghosts, Frontier Heroes, And The Stuff Of Legend
Many people have called the former site of Plemons a "haunted place." There is a graveyard which is the eternal resting place of several children. Some accounts say there are several graves marked for babies, and some for twins.
According to local lore, the children passed away due to some kind of epidemic at the time. Which epidemic depends on who you ask.
There are also tales of a boy who was locked away in one of the houses by his family. There are stories of a hermit who caught rattlesnakes.
Texas panhandle hero William "Billy" Dixon was sheriff of Plemons at one time.
Tall Tales And The Truth
If you go looking at Wikipedia, the history of Plemons is a pretty straight forward, boring affair. Wealthy man had land, then gave up some land to start a town. The town grew until the railroad bypassed it, and then it died.
But if you ask around, you'll hear some of the local stories that make you wish you could have seen it. Unfortunately, you and I will never get to visit.