County of city: Hutchinson County
Location of city: dead center in county; crossroads of TX-136 & TX-152
County is center in Panhandle of Texas
Location of courthouse: 5th St. & Main St., courthouse lawn, Stinnett
Elevation: 3,186 ft (971 m)
Population: 1,864 (2013)
The Person:
"Albert Sidney Stinnett was born in 1863 and named after Confederate General Albert Sydney Johnston (who had died the previous year). Born in Belton (Bell County), he moved his family to Amarillo from Fort Worth in 1905 and became a tireless promoter of Amarillo and the entire region. He sold his business to devote his time exclusively to development and spent two years getting the Rock Island Railroad to connect their existing lines to Amarillo, even financing part of construction costs to Kansas. He died in Amarillo in January of 1935 and was buried in that city’s Llano Cemetery." ~ Texas Escapes
His grave site at Find-A-Grave
The Place:
"The county seat of Hutchinson County, Stinnett got its start in 1925 when the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway instructed Albert Sidney Stinnett and Joe Williams, two railroad men, to gain a right-of-way for a branch line from Amarillo, Texas to Liberal, Kansas. The site was selected because it was outside of the rough country along the Canadian River.
"In July, 1926, the railroad paid $48,000 to W.A. Starnes to secure the surface rights for that railroad line and almost immediately town promoters, Asa Phillip “Ace” Borger and J.T. Peyton formed the Stinnett Townsite Company and went to work developing a new town to service as a railroad shipping point.
"The land was then surveyed and platted and it was named for Albert Sidney Stinnett who was instrumental in choosing the site. The townsite was dedicated on August 11th, 1926. Just four days later, the Townsite Company declared a special “Dollar Day” event with a picnic and games, with the objective of selling lots. Hundreds of people gathered for the occasion. Within four months, $400,000 worth of lots were sold, with corner lots selling for as much as $1250 and inside lots as high as $1000.
"The railroad company soon built a depot, the population quickly rose to almost 2,500 people, and numerous rough wooden shacks and canvas tents were hurriedly erected. In September, town promoter, Ace Borger, sought to move the county seat from Plemons to Stinnett, and a petition was circulated among Hutchinson County residents. The petition was successful and a special election was called for on September 18th, 1926. At that time, there were about 500 legal voters in the county and there were numerous “heated” discussions about moving the county seat. Obviously, those who lived in Plemons knew the consequences of what might happen to their town if they lost. They were right to worry. Plemons lost the election to Stinnett and knowing how it would effect the town, Plemons residents threatened a court suit. The newly elected county commissioners responded by holding a midnight meeting and then backing a truck up to the Plemons courthouse, loading up all the county records, and driving off to Stinnett in the middle of the night. Though it wasn’t immediate, Plemons became a ghost town and there is nothing but a cemetery left of it today." ~ Legends of America