DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. The Evergreen Cemetery Association organized in 1894 — and right away, they meant business. They purchased twenty-five acres at this very site, laid out the ground, and got to work establishing a cemetery.
Now, the first recorded burial was that of an infant, little Nellie Storkes, on October 4th of that same year, 1894. That date lands quiet and heavy, doesn't it. A brand new place of rest, and the very first soul laid there was a child.
That's how Evergreen began. The early years had a man named Joseph Grenedig keeping watch as the first sexton — the caretaker, the keeper of the grounds. He held that post until 1898, when Charles Hooper stepped in and took up the work.
And Charles didn't just pass through. He served all the way until 1924. Then his son James took over, and during James's tenure — 1924 to 1936 — a portion of those original twenty-five acres was sold.
The land shifted some, but the Hooper family? They weren't going anywhere. Members of the Hooper family cared for all or part of this cemetery until 1984.
That's nearly a century of one family's hands in this ground. Now here's where Evergreen gets truly remarkable. Walk through these twenty-five acres and you're walking through three distinct worlds, side by side.
The Southern folk burial sites are often divided up by family, each one enclosed by a fence with an arched gate — a sense of home even here. The German families are buried together, their grave stones marked by fine craftsmanship, and rows of evergreens and crepe myrtles often standing between those sections like quiet green walls. And the Hispanic grave sites tend to be individually situated, decorated with floral arrangements — a more personal, singular kind of tribute.
Three traditions. Three ways of saying goodbye. All of them under the same Texas sky.
Among those buried in Evergreen you'll find veterans of conflicts ranging from the Civil War all the way to World War II. You'll find city and county officials. And you'll find members of local labor groups and fraternal organizations — the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World.
People who built community while they lived and now rest together in one. And who maintains Evergreen today? An association made up of descendants of the people buried here.
The families didn't leave. They just kept watch a little longer. Some roots, it turns out, go deeper than the ground itself.
What the marker says
The Evergreen Cemetery Association organized in 1894 and purchased 25 acres at this site to establish a cemetery. The first recorded burial was that of the infant Nellie Storkes on October 4, 1894. Charles Hooper replaced first sexton Joseph Grenedig in 1898 and served until 1924. He was succeeded by his son, James, during whose tenure (1924-1936) of the original 25 acres were sold. Hooper family members cared for all or part of the cemetery until 1984. Three distinctive ethnic burial arrangements exist here. Southern folk burial sites are often subdivided by families and enclosed by a fence with an arched gate. German families are buried together and their grave stones decorated by fine craftsmanship. Rows of evergreens and crepe myrtles often separate the German sections. Hispanic grave sites tend to be individually situated and decorated with floral arrangements. Among those buried in the cemetery are veterans of conflicts ranging from the Civil War to World War II, city and county officials, and local labor group and fraternal organizational members including the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and Woodmen of the World. The cemetery is maintained by an association comprised of descendants of people buried here.