Proffitt is a former rural community in west-central Young County, Texas, near Elm Creek and the Brazos River. It was settled in the early 1860s by Robert S. Proffitt and his family, who established homes and ranching operations in the area. The settlement eventually took on the family name and grew into a small but active hub for local farmers and ranchers.
Early Settlement and Community Development
The Proffitt family arrived in the region around 1862. After the Civil War, John Proffitt, one of Robert’s sons, donated land for a church. This building also served as a school and a meeting place for a Masonic lodge, anchoring community life.
By January 1880, a post office had been established, marking Proffitt as an organized settlement. Over the next few years, the community developed additional institutions and businesses, including a Baptist church, a Methodist church, a general store, and a cotton gin. These resources allowed Proffitt to become a modest center of commerce and social life for the surrounding ranching and farming families.
Indian Raid of 1867
Life on the Texas frontier was dangerous, and conflicts with Native tribes were part of that reality. On July 17, 1867, a raid resulted in the deaths of three young men: Patrick Euell Proffitt (the son of Robert Proffitt), Rice Carlton, and Reuben Johnson. They were buried together in a common grave, which became the first recorded burial in what is now Proffitt Cemetery.
This tragedy left a lasting mark on the community, and the cemetery developed around this common grave.
Proffitt Cemetery
Proffitt Cemetery became the final resting place for many area residents, including both marked and unmarked graves. Many of the burials were children or victims of epidemics common to frontier life.
In 1990, the Texas Historical Commission erected a marker at the site. The inscription recounts the settlement’s beginnings, the Proffitt family’s role, the 1867 raid, and the importance of the cemetery as a memorial to early pioneers.
Decline of the Community
Although Proffitt persisted into the early 20th century, it never grew into a large town. The post office was discontinued in 1925, with mail service rerouted to Newcastle.
Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the community’s population remained around 50. By the mid-1960s, the number rose briefly to about 125, but Proffitt was already in decline. Over time, the churches and school closed, and by the 1980s maps showed only a church, community center, and cemetery still identified at the site.
Today, Proffitt is considered a ghost town. The cemetery and historical marker serve as reminders of the settlement and the pioneer families who lived there.
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