DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Hoover's Valley Cemetery, out here in Burnet County. Now settle in, because even the quietest piece of ground has a story worth hearing. Back in 1850, a man named Reverend Isaac Hoover came down from Tennessee and put down roots in this part of Texas.
He was a minister in the local Methodist Protestant church, and he didn't wait long to get to work — he soon initiated services right out in a nearby oak grove. No walls, no roof, just the trees and whatever sky was overhead. That's the kind of man he was.
And that same year, 1850, he established what would become Hoover's Valley Cemetery. The oldest stone here dates from about that year, which means somebody was laid to rest in this ground right at the very beginning. Among the graves is one belonging to the Whitlock family, killed by Indians — and the marker doesn't dress that up, so neither will I.
That's a weight this ground has carried a long time. When you walk through here today, you're walking past 157 marked graves and 88 more that have no stone left to speak their names. Two hundred and forty-five souls, give or take, with more still coming — because this tract, started by a preacher fresh out of Tennessee under the open Texas sky, is still in use.
Some stories don't end. They just keep going, one grave at a time.
What the marker says
Established in 1850 by the Rev. Isaac Hoover, of local Methodist Protestant church. He came from Tennessee; soon initiated services in nearby oak grove. Oldest stone dates from about 1850. Another grave is of Whitlock family, killed by Indians. Marked graves total 157; unmarked, 88. Tract is still in use.