Local Cemetery Burial — Options and Opportunities

Let’s accept it. The only time we willingly discuss cemeteries is where we are supposed to go when a friend or family member dies and we are to attend a service following the funeral. Most of us know where two of the local cemeteries, but can you name how many cemeteries have plots available to purchase? Or do you know how much it costs to acquire one?

One of the best investments you can make is that of a little time and interest in finding a final resting place either for yourself or for loved ones, even if the concept of their passing is decades away. In fact, it’s one purchase you can make today that will only appreciate as time goes on because a plot is land, and land only improves in value.

Many of you are aware that on September 8, the College Station City Cemetery received an official marker from the Brazos County Historical Commission noting the 75 ^th anniversary of this historic cemetery. Officials and historians were in attendance for the occasion and as it turns out, there are no more spaces available should you wish to be buried here. This is the location on 2530 Texas Avenue S., which faces the strip center that once held Lack’s furniture and still holds Brown’s Shoe Fit. Twenty years ago, spaces were available and sold for $600 each.

Population has skyrocketed in the Brazos Valley, especially in College Station, and this cemetery filled up. Only a few infant spaces are available for sale from the City of College Station, at a cost of $220.

The historic plaque notes: “…Five of the six original City Council members, four presidents of the university, highly decorated World War II Hero, General James Earl Rudder, 24-year mayor of College Station Ernest K. Langford…National Square and Round Dance Hall of Famer Manning F. Smith, and…Gussie Wilborn, humanitarian and descendant of early African American pioneers who won the ‘Outstanding Woman of Brazos County Award in 1985.’”

So much like the international and multicultural composition of Texas A&M itself, “tombstones reflect a variety of fraternal associations, including Woodmen of the World, Eastern Star, and Masons, and represent many different cultures with languages such as Chinese, Spanish, Czech, and Arabic lined with trees and maintained by the city…a testament to the rich heritage of the community.”

For those who don’t usually read historic markers, this one in particular invites a special feeling of solemn reverence as you pause to think of how this wonderful community has been built by hours and hours of unseen hands spending time in service to community and civic organizations, primarily comprised of talented individuals who care about where they live and want to provide for generations who come after them.

In addition to this location, the newer cemetery is the College Station City Cemetery with one section known as the Aggie Field of Honor & Memorial Cemetery , comprising 20 of the 56 acres there. Prices are different for the two sections. For example, a standard space in the Municipal section is $1,750 and a single Columbaria niche is $825. On the Aggie Field of Honor side, the standard space is $3,250 and a single Columbaria niche is $1,650. Anyone who loves Texas A&M can be buried on the Aggie Field of Honor side; no degree status is required.

Over in the Bryan City Cemetery at 1109 N. Texas Avenue you’ll find about 67 acres of land, with the newest section of the cemetery located at the end of Washington St., which runs parallel to the entrances to the older, original cemetery location. The beautiful older trees line the roads that meander all the way through each of the sections. As you might imagine, people bought plots for their families in segments of anywhere between 6-8 family members, which took into account when a child would one day grow up and marry adding to the family size.

Planning that far ahead served families well as they got to choose their space from a large group of attractive sites, and the price back then was substantially less expensive. Now in the newest section of the Bryan City Cemetery, one of the most attractive features includes many comfortable iron benches placed throughout the cemetery, which invites visitors to come and sit a while and reflect on their loved ones.

A special Veterans section is already designated in the new cemetery section. It’s a special sight to see the headstones reflecting loved ones’ military service there. Trees have been planted, and it’s just a matter of time before you see major shade sections appearing with each year.

There are numerous other cemeteries in Bryan, and one more we’ll focus on here is Restever Cemetery by Callaway-Jones. It is the only perpetual care cemetery in Bryan-College Station; that means that your loved ones’ monuments and the grounds around them will always be maintained by private funds that are built up when a burial site is purchased. City funds from municipal taxes take care of the city cemeteries over the years.

A typical burial space at Restever costs a one-time price of $920, which is $800 for the space and $120 for perpetual care. There are six sections there, located at 5103 N. Texas Avenue and only one section is entirely completed, and a new section is coming online very soon.

Each cemetery has local rules by which they operate and control the types of monuments you can erect, whether or not you can have live or plastic flowers, how long flowers can remain on the

Located in Bryan-College Station as well are several other cemeteries within a 5-10 mile radius, including Grandview, Oakwood, Yellow Fever Cemetery, and Boonville Cemetery. There are specific rules for being a member of a particular specialized cemetery and membership fees are what keep the individual cemeteries up to a beautiful standard. So much history exists in each cemetery. In future columns, we’ll explore a few more that are here in the Brazos Valley that you might have driven by but never known their history before.

In the meantime, remember that the sooner you decide on a final resting place for you and your loved ones, whether or not you make any funeral plans at this time, it is always wise to secure a gravesite or Columbaria space as soon as possible. If you have questions, please feel free to call me at (979) 822-3717 or come by for a cup of coffee and learn more.