Shared by Karen Daniels

The Plum Creek community became known as “Jonesville” by some due to the leadership of Abe Jones, a former slave, who owned over 1000 acres and had a cotton gin, grist mill, and store there.

Many families, such as the Brown, Jones, Huckaby, and Cunninghams lived here. A church was organized in 1887, and in 1891 a school was started. In 1899 forty-eight black and thirty-five white students were enrolled in separate Plum Creek schools. In the 1930s the community had a business, a church, a school, a cemetery, and a number of scattered dwellings. In the 1960s Brown Chapel, Trahan School, Plum Creek Cemetery, and a few scattered dwellings marked the site.The last common school district was Trahan, which operated into the 1970’s in a small two-room schoolhouse, just to maintain the county school superintendent’s office and jobs. By the late 1980s Plum Creek was no longer shown on maps. Upon visiting this community a few weeks ago, I was able to snap a picture of the present day, Brown’s Chapel as well as some of the headstones from the cemetery ~ now known as the Brown’s Chapel Cemetery (formerly Plum Creek Cemetery *see pics from old PC Cemetery*)

MORE HISTORY!

Colleges: Black Jack Grove College & Plum Creek College

Churches: Brown Chapel A.M.E. ~ Brown Chapel Church began as a log cabin in 1887 about a mile from the present site. Brown Chapel is not too far from Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. People believe Frank and Liza Hayes gave the land for the church and cemetery. In 1887, Plum Creek Baptist Church petitioned to join the Prairie Grove Baptist Association’s 23 members led by J.W. Wood.

Nearby Cemeteries: Brown Chapel Cemetery, Brooke Family Cemetery (1 mile northwest), Willis Family Cemetery (1.7 miles north)

Plum Creek community is located about halfway between Lanely and Butler about 6 1/2 miles east of Dew on what is now FM 489.

**More info on Abe Jones**

ABE JONES (renowned Plum Creek Resident)

In December 2006 the Freestone County Historical Committee held and hosted a meeting at the Butler “E.E. Wheat” Community Center with Abe C. Jones’ grandson, Eddie Jones. Eddie presented information on his grandfather and grandmother. Much of the information below concerning them came from this meeting.

Bridge Builder 2006- Abe Jones

Following the Civil War Abe Jones, as a teenager lived with and worked for others to make a living. In 1888 he married Dollie Mae Conyers; to this union nine children were born: Claude Jones 1889-1963, Erma Jones 1891-1968, Clark Jones 1899-1934, Kenchion Jones 1901-1996, Mary Jones 1905-1974, Infant son 1908, Herman Jones 1908-1991, infant son, 1911.

He and his wife made their home in the Plum Creek community. They purchased 106 acres of land in 1896 and shortly after 342.5 acres, where they built a simple log house and three of their children were born. They next built a large wood frame unpainted house with an oversized hall through it with rooms on both sides where the other children were born. Their third home was even larger and painted brown. Here he built and operated the first of three cotton gins he owned in his lifetime, Bill Glazener told he remembered seeing them move one of the steam engines for a gin with mules coming from the Teague railroad. There was a saw mill, grist mill, several syrup mills and a country store.

Together Abe and Dollie acquired 1056.5 acres of land, one city lot in Palestine and two in Teague.

They were the first black family in Freestone County to own a car, a new 1923 Model T Ford. This was an accomplishment for anyone of that era especially more so for a former slave. Not only a farmer Abe Jones was, in l920, a stock holder and vice president of the American Shoe Co. of San Antonio. They owned cattle, hog and work horses and mules… Some share croppers lived here. Some of the grandchildren growing up here described life comparable to old type plantations.

Grade school was the highest education offered locally so the girls were sent to Paul Quinn College in Waco and other colleges with some returning to teach in the two room Trahin School that was on land provided by the Jones. The boys worked on the farm and taught not to say “cant”.
~Eddie Jones, grandson of Abe Jones

Historical facts presented by Evelyn Henderson Lawson.
Author of COLORED RIVER-The Untold Story of the Great Land Theft Conspiracy in Freestone County, Texas http://www.coloredriver.com