Plemons is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

in Hutchinson County, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. It is located 10 miles southeast of Stinnett, and northeast of Borger, on Plemons Road, just north of the junction of County Road R.

Establishment

In 1898,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

rancher James Andrew Whittenburg filed on four sections of land in Hutchinson County, where he built a dugout shelter near the Canadian River. He used the acreage as the family homestead. In 1901, Whittenburg donated acreage from the homestead land for the establishment of a town. When Barney Plemons filed for land there, the town was named for him. Plemons became the county seat in 1901 when Hutchinson County was organized. E. E. Akers built the courthouse.

Economy

Mattie Sams was appointed the first postmaster when Plemons received its post office on May 29, 1901. The post office was in operation until 1952. The first decade of its existence, Plemons had 15 families. Billy Dixon moved to Plemons from Adobe Walls and operated a boarding house. Dixon became the first county sheriff. The Plemons economy realized modest benefit from nearby Turkey Track ranch and Tar Box ranch.

New county seat

The Amarillo branch of the Rock Island and Gulf Railway bypassed Plemons, routing to the north. Stinnett was then developed to be a shipping point for the railroad. In 1926, the county seat of government was moved to Stinnett. Plemons began to decline after that, despite a brief spurt during the oil boom. Today, Plemons is considered a ghost town.

Education

The area was served by the Plemons Independent School District until July 1, 1987, when it merged into the Plemons-Stinnett-Phillips Consolidated Independent School District.

Plemons Cemetery

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

Marker number 12096 was designated for the Plemons Cemetery. The first burial is believed to have been Mrs. E. E. Akers, date unknown. The last burial was Charles Ray Sessions in 1953. The local

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts or Boy Scout may refer to: * Members, sections or organisations in the Scouting Movement ** Scout (Scouting), a boy or a girl participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America ...

troop spearheaded preservation efforts of the cemetery.

Notable person

* Billy Dixon (1850–1913) lived in Plemons from 1902 to 1906. He was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

on November 4, 1874, for gallantry in action on September 12, 1874. In 1916, Dixon's was one of 900 medals withdrawn as "unwarranted". The U.S. Army Board of Correction of Records restored the medal in 1989.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Plemons has a

semiarid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

, ''BSk'' on climate maps.Climate Summary for Plemons, Texas
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plemons, Texas Geography of Hutchinson County, Texas Ghost towns in the Texas Panhandle Populated places established in 1901 Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks 1901 establishments in Texas