Markley, Texas. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Originally called Plum Grove with its founding in 1888, it briefly went by the name of Manlee when it was granted a post office that year. History has forgotten the source of the name, but when General A. C. Markley moved to Young County a few years later, they didn�t hesitate to honor the man.

The community enjoyed a quiet existence until the 1920s when oil was discovered. The population rose so quickly that no one bothered to get an accurate count of residents. The boom didn�t last long and for the 1940 census only fifty people were determined to be full-time citizens. The post office closed sometime after 1940 and the community had only 31 residents in 1980. It remained at that level for the 1990 census but grew to fifty for the count in 2000.

Plum Grove Baptist Churh marker
Photo courtesy Barclay Gibson, August 2013

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