While technically just outside our neighborhood, this one proved too good not to share. The Motley family were pioneers of Mesquite, who owned 3,000 acres of land stretching through Casa View to downtown. In 1863, they established a cemetery that still stands today, now on the grounds of Eastfield College. Dozens of family members are buried on site, but some graves carry distinctively different markings like “The arm of John S. Motley.” According to lore, the 17-year-old Motley lost his arm in a cotton gin accident in 1894, so the family provided it a proper burial. But he was haunted by phantom limb syndrome, claiming he could still feel the arm buried beneath the earth, crawling with ants. The family decided to dig up the arm and indeed, it was swarming with ants. The headstone for the severed arm remains, leading to decades of rumors about a one-armed ghost who haunts the college. (Source: The Dallas Morning News)
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