John McNeese Graveyard

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say, so take it straight from the record. Now, there's a stretch of old La Bahia Road out in Washington County where the land holds a story going back further than most folks care to count. In 1831, this ground was granted to the brother-in-law and sister of none other than Stephen F.

Austin himself. That's the kind of provenance that makes a piece of Texas soil sit up a little straighter. But the story doesn't stop with the Austin family connection.

The land was bought by a man named John McNeese, born in 1789, who came down from South Carolina and put down roots in Texas in 1835. He died in 1853, and his grave is right there on that very ground. Now here's the part that says something about the kind of man John McNeese was, or at least the kind of legacy he wanted to leave.

That plot wasn't just set aside by a handshake or a hope. It was set aside by deed covenants, written into the land itself, reserved forever for McNeese family graves. Forever.

Not for a generation, not until somebody made a better offer. Forever. The La Bahia Road has seen a lot of stories roll past, but some of them, like this one, didn't roll anywhere at all.

They stayed put, written in deed and stone, exactly where John McNeese intended.

What the marker says

Land here on La Bahia Road was in 1831 grant to brother-in-law and sister of Stephen F. Austin. It was bought by John McNeese (1789-1853), an 1835 settler from South Carolina, whose grave is here. Plot is set aside by deed covenants forever for McNeese family graves.