The Charm of Serene Country Cemeteries

If you love exploring the history of small towns in Texas, one of the places you will find time well spent is in the older, smaller family cemeteries that line the beautiful Texas countryside. In and around the Brazos Valley, you can discover some amazing places that families have called their “family resting places” for several generations. It’s not always easy to find an available space if you’re looking for a place to call yours when the time comes, but it’s always worth looking to see what is there.

As you go up toward Rudder Freeway on Boonville Road, you’ll pass the beautiful Boonville Cemetery, but you already have to have a plot there as they’re all sold and accounted for. Smaller Brazos County cemeteries are plentiful here. Grandview Cemetery has had an excellent renewal in the past three years, thanks in large measure to the Madison family in Bryan, and the landscaping present today has restored it beautifully.

There are two Mt. Calvary Cemeteries; most everyone knows the one in Bryan in the far end of the Bryan City Cemetery but there’s also one in Smetana! Of course, you know that Restever Mausoleum and Cemetery is on Hwy 6 heading toward Hearne. In Hearne, there’s a private cemetery, Macy Memorial there.

If you go on down FM 1179 towards Madisonville, you’ll see the Steep Hollow Cemetery on your right and then continuing on, you’ll see the Reliance Cemetery right on the grounds of Reliance Baptist Church. The Kurten Cemetery is very large and easy to find, right off of Hwy 190 as you’re heading towards Madisonville. As you’re out and about that area, it’s not too far to beautiful Alexander Cemetery near Tabor.

Now, if you head over toward Wheelock, you’ll see the Wheelock Cemetery in Wheelock, Texas. South of College Station, you’ll find the Peach Creek Cemetery with great history.

Each one of these cemeteries has its own unique charm. At one time, nothing more than unplowed acreage, landowners decided to dedicate portions of property to preserving the remains of those who would declare their homestead and final resting place to be there. Many families who don’t have the opportunity to be parts of these community cemeteries made plans over 50 years ago in the Bryan and College Station cemeteries, respectively, to purchase 8 to 10 plots, with an eye on being able to include children, grandchildren, and perhaps even great grandchildren, if the family generations wished.

Those historians who love doing genealogical research cherish the records of the committees and secretaries/sextons of these cemeteries, who are able to remember exactly where various ancestors were buried. Many is a summer I can remember talking to people who came to family reunions and discussing where certain family members had been buried and knowing which family members would be responsible for putting fresh flowers out at various holidays and at the annual “Decoration Day” workday for the cemeteries where monuments would be cleaned with soap and water, and any weeds that might have grown would be removed.

Perpetual care cemeteries plan for regular lawn maintenance and plot management, but various weather stresses can cause all kinds of disarray at times. It’s always good to know that someone who cares will be nearby to look after these things. Typically, it’s a member of the older generations who take on this role and responsibility, but I’ve also seen where the younger family members who are interested are also appointed when committees are in charge of caring for larger cemetery locations.

As you go over toward North Zulch and Normangee, you’ll see the Sand Prairie Cemetery and the George Cemetery on FM 1492 near Sand Prairie Baptist Church. Then, there’s Willowhole Cemetery in North Zulch not far away. Down the road about eight  miles, you’ll find Hopewell Cemetery in Normangee, Marquez Cemetery in Leon County, Ten Mile Cemetery in Normangee, and Wealthy Cemetery in Leon County.

Now, every cemetery has its own rules that you want to research before securing a plot there. In some cases, donations are requested for cemetery care, there are some fixed fees for interment in addition to burial, rules for sizes and construction of monuments, and in other cases, there are few if any rules. They vary with each cemetery.

One online resource I’d like to recommend is FindAGrave.com. Genealogy enthusiasts are to thank for this excellent site. If you’d like to see the grave of one of your ancestors, there’s an excellent chance that a researcher has taken a photograph of any monument and uploaded it to Find-A-Grave and annotated the name and dates of birth and death of the decedent. It’s an amazing feeling to know that someone you never met before took the time to mark the spot with a photograph and entry into the site. It’s free to use and if you’d like to contribute photos of your family headstones for future researchers you can create a free account to do that.

Although taking a Sunday drive through some of our county cemeteries might not be the first idea that comes to mind on a relaxing afternoon, as our weather turns cooler, you might just drive by a few of them and read the historical markers outside the ones with them displayed. You might recognize many of the names of our early community founders and longstanding pillars of the community. In addition to taking care of their families, and their businesses, we can share our appreciation with those who thought to provide final resting places in the community.

Prices for cemetery plots only increase over time, and you would not believe how fast the value rises. As just one example, three plot spaces purchased together in a large private cemetery in Houston sold for $3600 in 1997. Today, the cost of one space there in the same cemetery is $!2,000, and that is just the cost of the plot, not including burial (which we call opening and closing of the gravesite). So, it never hurts to give early thought to something you won’t need for another 10, 20, or 30 years. And, a final reason to take that Sunday afternoon drive to see where some of your loved ones might be buried is always the opportunity to pay your respects to those who’ve gone before you, and to sit on a comfortable bench someone thoughtfully provided as you reflect on your time together with them.

Here’s to your memories.

Cody D. Jones ‘02

Owner & Community Member