Grave of Machine Gun Kelly - Cottondale, TX - Roadside Attractions on Waymarking.com

Cottondale dates to the 1850s, itself one of the oldest communities in Wise County, but today, it is a small, rural community. The Cottondale Cemetery is behind the old Cottondale school, which is now a community center and chapel, and a 2015 Texas Historical Marker stands at the cemetery gate, providing some background on Machine Gun Kelly's criminal career:

During the Prohibition Era, organized crime increased. Big-name gangsters like Al Capone ruled the streets while public enemies such as Bonnie and Clyde swept across the country. One of the most infamous criminals of this time was George Francis Barnes Jr., also known as George B. "Machine Gun" Kelley. Born on July 17, 1900, in Chicago, Barnes grew up in Memphis. He briefly held a job and family, but following divorce and the loss of his job, he fell into bootlegging. He built up a nasty reputation, being jailed numerous times, and headed westward by the late 1920s. In 1930, he met the widow Kathryn Thorne. They eventually married, and joined together to go on crime sprees of higher and higher magnitudes, robbing banks across the South and Midwest. Kathryn was known to be a good shot with various firearms, and eventually bought a Thompson machine gun for her husband, earning him his nickname.

George and Kathryn robbed banks for years, gaining large amounts of money and notoriety. On July 22, 1933, the couple set out to kidnap Charles Urschel, an oil baron in Oklahoma City. They held him at the farm house of Kathryn’s stepfather Robert “Boss” Shannon in Wise County until the ransom of $200,000 was paid. However, in August the couple was caught and arrested. During one of the first court cases under the new Lindbergh law on kidnapping, George, Kathryn, and much of the Shannon family were given life sentences in prison, although Boss was granted clemency after 11 years. George died of heart disease in Leavenworth Prison on July 18, 1954. George Barnes was buried here by Boss Shannon as nobody from George’s immediate family claimed the body.

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Kelly is buried in Row 10, right at the corner, his grave marked by a simple concrete headstone that gives his name and year of death. Boss Shannon and several of his family members are buried in the same row, just a few places down from Kelly. Interestingly, Kelly's name is "Kelley" on his stone, and despite his birth name's being "Barnes," there are numerous burials of people named "Kelley" (and Barnes) in this cemetery. It's said that "Kelly" was changed to "Kelley" to avoid the notoriety that could accompany the grave, and as evidenced by the spelling on the Texas Historical Marker, the confusion continues. Please limit visits to daytime hours.

Price of Admission: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Roadside Attractions Website: [Web Link] Location Website: [Web Link] Weekday Hours: Not listed Weekend Hours: Not listed

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