Athens’ Plato Jones Was Known Far And Wide For His Barbecuing Skills

By Bob Blalock

A large crowd, umbrellas unfurled against a blazing sun, gathered at the Limestone County Courthouse Square in Athens in “fearfully warm weather” on Saturday, June 26, 1909, to witness the unveiling of a monument honoring the county’s Confederate soldiers.

The Joseph E. Johnston Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy had raised money for the monument and were “honored guests” at the dedication ceremony of the county’s Civil War survivors.

“After the exercises were concluded the old soldiers served a delightful barbecue dinner,” the Limestone Democrat reported on July 1. “The splendid barbecue was prepared under the direction of Treasurer Wm. Bridgforth, aided by one of Limestone’s worthiest negroes, Plato Jones.”

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