DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Way out in McLennan County, there's a piece of ground that's been holding stories since before the Civil War. The place is called Evergreen Cemetery, and the story starts — as so many good Texas stories do — with a gift.
In 1860, pioneer settlers William and Margaret Oliver gave land. Not just for one purpose, mind you, but for three: a church, a school, and a cemetery. Three things a community needs if it's going to become something more than a collection of people living near each other.
That was the Oliver family's thinking, and they put the land behind it. Now, here's where the story gets some texture. From 1866 all the way to 1907, families from the surrounding area would assemble right here for camp meetings.
Worship, singing, fellowship. You think about that stretch of years — the seasons that turned, the children who were born and grew tall and brought their own children — and those camp meetings were the heartbeat of this whole region. Then, somewhere along the way, they stopped.
But Evergreen has a way of coming back. In 1941, those meetings were resumed. Not as camp meetings this time, but as annual reunions — descendants of the pioneers gathering on the same ground their grandparents and great-grandparents had consecrated with their voices and their prayers.
The names had changed, the wagons were gone, but the ground remembered. In 1957, Evergreen was incorporated as a private cemetery, giving it a formal structure to match its long legacy. And it was Major Fred N.
Oliver — grandson of the original donors, William and Margaret — who stepped up and started a trust fund for perpetual care. The family that gave the land wasn't finished giving. The restored cemetery stands now as a place for memorial services, honoring the pioneers of this region.
Some places just refuse to be forgotten. Evergreen is one of them.
What the marker says
Pioneer settlers William and Margaret Oliver gave land in 1860 for a church, school, and this cemetery. From 1866 to 1907, families from the surrounding area assembled here for camp meetings -- times of worship, singing, and fellowship. In 1941 the meetings were resumed, as annual reunions of the pioneers' descendants. In 1957 Evergreen was incorporated as a private cemetery. Major Fred N. Oliver, grandson of the donors, started a trust fund for perpetual care. The restored cemetery now is a place for memorial services to honor pioneers of this region. (1976)