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History in
a Pecan Shell
The town (Cochran
County’s first) was built by C. C. Slaughter in anticipation of the
railroad’s arrival.
The town was originally named after Slaughter’s daughter-in-law’s
family name (Ligon). It wasn’t until 1923 when the town was
platted.
There have been many county seat rivalries in Texas history, but the
fight for the Cochran County seat of government was more personal
than most. It was between mega-rancher C.C. Slaughter and his former
land agent Morton Smith. Slaughter had the site of Ligon while Smith
had founded his own town of Morton,
only four miles north.
(See 1940s Cochran County Vintage
Map)
Morton won the
election held in March of 1923, but it wasn’t as simple as that. Slaughter
had the clout to challenge the vote and demand a new election conducted
ten months later. Morton
was again declared the winner.
When the railroad (the South Plains and Santa Fe) finally arrived,
it bypassed both Ligon and Morton. It went four miles south of Ligon
– near enough to consider moving the town – which was done. The new
town didn’t see the need to honor anyone’s daughter-in-law, so they
named it Lehman after one of their own – general manager Frank A.
Lehman.
The Ligon school was one of the buildings moved, however it was only
used while a larger brick school was constructed.
In the mid 1930s, Lehman only had a few businesses, the school and
the post office – and a mere 10 residents. It grew to an estimated
100 by 1940.
In 1945 a federal program called The Lehman Project settled veterans
onto subdivided properties that the government had bought. Although
the project was deemed a success – it didn’t last. Despite two major
investments in a gasoline plant and a sulphur plant, the community
declined. An estimated population in the early 1980s was 15 which
has since declined to only eight – making Lehman a ghost town, but
a populated ghost town.
Lubbock
Hotels |
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1940s Cochran
County map showing Lehman
(Under "R" in "C-O-C-H-R-A-N")
Courtesy Texas General Land Office |
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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