Lamesa Farm Workers Community
Once a well-established community organized under a 1930s New Deal program, Lamesa Farm Workers Community is now little more than a couple dozen homes, mostly battered and uninhabitable, amid well-worn dirt roads. Despite the desolation, it's easy to envision the once-tight-knit community of Mexican migrant workers who raised families here while working in the surrounding cotton fields.
Created by the nation's Farm Security Administration to protect Mexican immigrants and prevent their exploitation, Lamesa labor camp was unique thanks to its accommodations, including a community center that provided a place for play, and educational opportunities for children and adults.
As tractors and other modernized farm equipment emerged, the reduced need for manual labor gutted the camp. In 1980, the 50-acre property was sold to the Ybañez family, and the small community was renamed Los Ybañez. The new owners retained the general purpose of community, renting the homes to Hispanic families. Lamesa Farm Workers Community is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.