Hittson Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give it to you straight out of Palo Pinto County. There's a burial ground sitting about two-tenths of a mile north of where you're rolling right now, and the story it holds goes back to a Virginia man named Jesse Hittson, born in 1801. Jesse made his way to this stretch of Texas in 1855, and he came to do one thing: raise cattle.

Now, the land he settled on wasn't just any piece of ground. It sat on an important early crossing of the Brazos River, and that bend in the river came to be known as Hittson Bend. Two years after he arrived, in 1857, Jesse wasn't just working cattle, he was helping build something bigger.

He actively participated in the formation of Palo Pinto County itself. The man had a hand in shaping the very county you're driving through. Jesse Hittson passed in 1861, and his grave is the earliest marked at that cemetery.

The earliest one. But here's what makes this burial ground something more than one man's resting place. Five generations of Hittsons are buried there.

Five generations, laid down in that same soil Jesse claimed back in 1855. And the family didn't just stay, they led. Graves at that site include family members who became prominent figures in the cattle industry and who helped develop this whole region.

A Virginia-born settler, a river crossing, a county taking shape, and a family that kept building long after the founder was gone. That bend in the Brazos has been holding that story for a long, long time.

What the marker says

This burial ground (.2 miles north) first served the family of pioneer settler Jesse Hittson (1801-61). A native of Virginia, Hittson moved to this area in 1855 and began raising cattle. His land, located on an important early Brazos River crossing, became known as Hittson Bend. In 1857 he actively participated in the formation of Palo Pinto County. His grave is the earliest marked at this site. Five generations of Hittsons are buried here. Graves include those of family members who also became prominent leaders of the cattle industry and who led in the development of the area. (1982) Historic Texas Cemetery medallion (2012)