Afton's Memories
Abilene Reporter News, by Josie Liming, September 25, 2004Submitted by: Gary Yeary
Cemetery has been last reminder of Big Country town since 1965
Five miles west of Hamlin on Highway 92 lies a little piece of Texas history. Although only granite gravestones remain, the words in Afton Cemetery speak volumes about the past and raise questions about the future.
The cemetery is all that is left of Afton, which hit the height of its existence in 1892. At that time, Afton consisted of a school, church, post office and the cemetery, according to the book, "History of Fisher County, Texas." The post office closed in 1893; the school was later consolidated with another in Hitson. The deterioration continued, and since 1965, all that remains is the cemetery.
There are numerous unmarked graves. A tattered, plastic American flag marks the grave of someone who may have been a veteran. Some have a few rocks scattered atop them. Shirley Ann Townsend is the only face in the cemetery, her smiling picture on the stone declaring her a "darling wife and mother." Although many dates on the stones have worn away with time, people are still being buried there.
Jimmy Cooper, owner of Cooper Oil in Hamlin, has been taking care of the cemetery since his father died in 1987. He and other relatives of those buried in the cemetery have taken it upon themselves to maintain the lot.
"We received a $12,000 trust 10 years ago and the proceeds from the interest are used for the upkeep," Cooper said. "We usually get between one and 200 dollars a year to work with."
With no water source nearby, Cooper has the cemetery sprayed once a year to keep grass and weeds from growing. This also cuts down on the maintenance costs.
However, there always are unexpected expenses, such as the fence that had to be rebuilt after a vehicle ran a stop sign in the snow and came to rest in the middle of the cemetery.
"Someone always steps up when needed," Cooper said.