Duffau Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the marker tells it, and I'll give it to you straight. Francis T. Duffau was among the early settlers who came to this part of Erath County in the late 1850s, ready to put a plow to the soil and build something from scratch.

By 1860, the community had grown enough to earn its own post office, and a trade center started taking shape right here. For a while, Duffau was thriving. People coming and going, goods moving, a real hub of activity in the Texas countryside.

But the story doesn't stay that easy. Duffau suffered several disastrous fires. And then, the railroad came through the region and went right around it.

Bypassed. Just like that, the momentum shifted. Now, a town that's been through fire and railroad neglect might have called it quits, but Duffau had one more card to play.

Mineral wells. The nearby Duffau mineral wells drew people looking to restore their health, and for a time the area became something of a resort destination. By 1884, the traffic through Duffau Wells was steady enough to support its own separate post office.

That same year, H. B. and Eliza Hollis sold land to the Duffau School District, and the school served generations of local children before eventually merging with the Hico schools in 1960. Four congregations, Church of Christ, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian, kept the community's spiritual life going for many years.

And through all of it, through the fires and the bypassed railroad and the boom of the mineral wells and the quiet that followed, this cemetery was here. The oldest recorded grave belongs to Nancy Shipman, dated 1865. In 1874, Jacob and N.

E. McCarty deeded five acres of land specifically for cemetery purposes. More than 950 marked graves rest here now.

Veterans of the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Members of fraternal organizations. People who built a community and held it together through hard times.

The Duffau Cemetery Association was formed in 1958, and a trust fund followed in 1964 to help keep the grounds maintained. The cemetery is still active, still serving Duffau and the communities around it. Some places outlast the railroads that ignored them.

What the marker says

Francis T. Duffau was among the early settlers who arrived in the late 1850s to farm in this community. The Duffau post office was authorized in 1860. Duffau became a thriving trade center but later declined after suffering several disastrous fires and being bypassed by the railroad. The nearby Duffau mineral wells became a health resort, attracting people to the area. A separate post office was in operation at Duffau Wells in 1884. H. B. and Eliza Hollis sold land to the Duffau School District in 1884; the Duffau School merged with Hico schools in 1960. Church of Christ, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches served the community for many years. The oldest recorded grave in the Duffau Cemetery is that of Nancy Shipman in 1865. Jacob and N. E. McCarty deeded five acres of land for cemetery purposes in 1874. Among the more than 950 marked graves are those of veterans of the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, as well as members of a number of fraternal organizations. The Duffau Cemetery Association was formed in 1958, and a trust fund was established in 1964 to help maintain the graveyard. The cemetery continues to serve Duffau and the surrounding communities. (1997)