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History in
a Pecan Shell
Named after the
ranching Proffitt family around 1862 - under the protection of nearby
Fort Belknap. John Proffitt donated
land for a church that was also a school and Masonic lodge after the
Civil War. The Proffitt post office opened in 1880. John Proffitt
went into the freighting business and in the mid 1890s he opened a
store. In 1925 the post office was closed and mail was routed through
Newcastle.
The population remained at only fifty for decades and then increased
to 125 in the 1960s. After that unexplained increase, further figures
are unavailable.
A church, cemetery
and community center are all that remain of the former town. |
Proffitt Cemetery
On US 380, 8 miles
W of Newcastle |
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Historical Marker:
Proffitt Cemetery
Members of the
Robert Smith Proffitt family came to this area about 1862 and established
homes. A son, John Proffitt (1846-1925), amassed large land-holdings
and built a gin and other businesses. The developing community was
named Proffitt. At its height it boasted homes, a post office, school,
retail businesses, a Methodist church, and Baptist church.
On July 17, 1867, three young men were killed in an Indian raid near
this site. They were buried in a common
grave on John Proffitt's land about one mile south of town. Theirs
was the first burial in the community graveyard which became know
as the Proffitt Cemetery.
The cemetery contains both marked and unmarked graves of area pioneers.
The numerous interments of infants and children illustrate the often
harsh conditions of frontier life. The largest number of burials occurred
in the years between 1910 and 1920, and include many victims of the
World War I-era influenza
epidemic. Also buried here are veterans of the Civil War, World
War I, and World
War II.
Maintained by a cemetery association, this historic graveyard stands
as memorial to Young
County pioneers.
1990 |
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Proffitt Cemetery
Historical Marker
Photo
Courtesy Dustin
Martin, March 2018 |
Common Grave
of 3 young men ambushed by Indians
Photo
Courtesy Dustin
Martin, March 2018 |
Historical Marker:
Common Grave
Three youths slain
by Indians in an Elm Creek raid, July 17, 1867:
Rice Carlton, Age 19; Reuben Johnson, born 1847, son of J. Allen Johnson;
Patrick Euell Proffitt, born March 7, 1848, son of Robert S. Proffitt.
John Proffitt, a brother, was donor of cemetery tract.
1966 |
Proffitt Cemetery
Common Grave Marker
Photo
Courtesy Dustin
Martin, March 2018 |
Newcastle/Profitt,
Texas Suspension Bridge, Postmarked 1914
Click on image to enlarge
Old postcard
courtesy Dan
Whatley Collection |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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