DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker at Fairview Cemetery has to say — so let's take it slow, because this ground holds a lot. Forty-three acres. Around seven thousand graves.
That's not just a cemetery — that's a whole world laid to rest on the outskirts of Hubbard, Hill County, Texas. And every kind of marker you can imagine is out there: unmarked plots where names have been swallowed by time, homemade concrete slabs poured by folks doing the best they could, and giant marble statuaries for those who wanted the world to remember in no uncertain terms. Fairview Cemetery reflects the heritage and history of this community, plain as that.
Now, how it all started — well, the land was donated by Colonel J.H. Onstott, an early settler. When exactly?
Nobody left a record of that. Some things just happened and the paperwork didn't follow. What we do know is that the cemetery traces its inception to 1881, and from that year until 1952, the city of Hubbard kept control and care of this place.
Seventy-some years of civic stewardship. Then, on January 9, 1952, the Fairview Cemetery Lot Owners Association was formed and incorporated — and they've been guiding it ever since, with endowment funds, memorial funds, careful planning, and what the marker calls exceptional care and maintenance. In 1900, something else happened: more than thirteen acres were purchased from a woman named Mrs.
Georgia Sheets, expanding what Fairview could hold and who it could keep. Now let me tell you who's out there. The earliest marked grave belongs to a child — two years old, named Frank Ridge, born in 1846, gone by 1849.
That little marker is the oldest voice in this whole place, and it deserves a moment of quiet. Among the prominent settlers buried here is Frances A. Taulman, born 1841, died 1910 — the first mayor of Hubbard.
And his son, Joseph, is out there too, a man who captured many of Hubbard's earliest photographs. Think about that: the images we might have of that town's beginnings, those belong to Joseph. Then there's Tris Speaker — born 1888, died 1958 — the first Texan inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
He came home to Hubbard in the end, and Fairview is where he rests. And buried alongside him in that same ground is Sam Tobolowsky, born 1884, died 1959 — a Russian immigrant who became a businessman and benefactor of this community. Different origins, same red Texas soil.
Fairview is also the final resting place for veterans — men and women who served in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Every major conflict that shaped this country left someone here. Walk through it today and you'll find dozens of trees, ornamental plantings, curbing, graveled drives — a serene setting, the marker says, for a multi-generational, religious, and ethnically diverse population.
Seven thousand souls, give or take. From a two-year-old boy in 1849 to a Hall of Fame ballplayer, from the first mayor to an immigrant who crossed an ocean and made something of himself in Texas. Fairview holds all of them.
And it's still holding.
What the marker says
From unmarked graves to homemade concrete slabs to giant marble statuaries, Fairview Cemetery reflects the heritage and history of the community. Land for the cemetery was donated by Colonel J.H. Onstott, an early settler, but no records document the date. In 1900, more than thirteen acres were purchased from Mrs. Georgia Sheets. From its inception in 1881 until 1952, the cemetery operated under the control and care of the city of Hubbard. The Fairview Cemetery Lot Owners Association was formed and incorporated on January 9, 1952. Under the guidance of the cemetery association, endowment funds, memorial funds, planning and exceptional care and maintenance preserve this historic and beautiful cemetery. The earliest marked grave is that of two year old Frank Ridge (1846-1849). Many prominent settlers are buried here including the first mayor of Hubbard, Frances A. Taulman (1841-1910), and his son, Joseph, who captured many of Hubbard‘s earliest photographs. Tris Speaker (1888-1958), the first Texan inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is buried here, along with Russian immigrant, businessman, and benefactor, Sam Tobolowsky (1884-1959). This cemetery is also the final resting place for veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II. Fairview Cemetery encompasses forty-three acres and around 7,000 graves. The serene setting, with dozens of trees, ornamental plantings, curbing and graveled drives, provides a final resting place for a multi-generational, religious and ethnically diverse population. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2011 SUPPLEMENTAL PLATE: Fairview Cemetery is also the final resting place for veterans of the Korean War and Vietnam War.