DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna pass it along to you straight. Now, some places earn their names over time, and some places earn something harder than that — they earn their dignity. Eastview Cemetery, out here in Matagorda County, is one of the latter.
The story starts in 1907, when 1.8 acres of land were purchased from a man named D. P. Moore.
That ground became a burying place, and the first recorded burial — the first name written down in that ledger of the dead — was Henry Abram, in 1912. Before it carried the name Eastview, this cemetery went by a few others. They called it 'The Burying Ground for Negroes.' They called it 'Cedarvale Eastside.' They called it 'The Old Section.' It sat right up against the Anglo graveyard, Cedarvale Cemetery, close enough to be neighbors, separate enough to say everything about the world that built it.
Over seven hundred and eighty graves now rest in that ground — and that's just the ones recorded. It's believed that several unmarked graves exist, possibly out in the old section, where the earth holds more than the records do. That weight is worth sitting with for a moment.
Those graves include veterans — men who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The cemetery grew too. In 1945, over five acres were added when purchased from E.
E. Weller and his wife Ella May Weller, nearly tripling the original ground. A cemetery association took on the work of tending it — resurfaces the roads, made water accessible to every section, put in driveways, raised flagpoles, and planted oak trees and plants throughout the site.
Closely tied to African American churches and community organizations across the area, Eastview Cemetery continues to serve the vicinity and Matagorda County. Some places, they just endure. This one fought to.
What the marker says
This cemetery traces its origin to 1907, when 1.8 acres of land were purchased from D. P. Moore. The first recorded burial was that of Henry Abram in 1912. Known earlier as "The Burying Ground for Negroes," "Cedarvale Eastside," and "The Old Section," this cemetery is adjacent to the Anglo graveyard Cedarvale Cemetery. Over five acres of land was added to this site in 1945 when purchased from E. E. Weller and his wife Ella May Weller. Although the cemetery contains over 780 graves, it is believed that several unmarked graves exist, possibly in the old section. Buried here are veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Maintained by a cemetery association, many improvements have been made over the years to the grounds. The association had the roads resurfaced, made water accessible to all sections, installed flagpoles, established driveways, and planted several oak trees and numerous plants throughout the site. Closely associated with many of the area's African American churches and community organizations, the Eastview Cemetery continues to serve the vicinity and Matagorda county. (1996)