DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, every town worth its salt has got a place where the stories eventually come to rest. In Johnson City, that place is the Masonic Cemetery — and the ground it sits on has a history all its own before the first soul was ever laid to rest in it.
Back in 1892, three local Masons — Joseph Bird, W.H. Withers, and G.M. Nash — went out and purchased this land on behalf of Johnson City Masonic Lodge No. 561.
And here's the detail that stops you in your tracks: the woman who sold it to them was Julia Ann Moore Johnson, widow of James Polk Johnson — the very founder of the town itself. So right there at the beginning, this cemetery is tied directly to the roots of Johnson City in a way most burial grounds never are. The earliest marked graves date from the 1890s, and what those markers tell you is something.
These weren't just any folks. Community leaders, yes — but also veterans. Men who'd answered the call across conflicts stretching all the way from the War of 1812 clear through to Vietnam.
Let that span settle in for a moment. That is a long stretch of American history sleeping under one stretch of Texas ground. And then there's the name that'll make any student of Texas history slow their boots down: Cicero Rufus Perry, celebrated Texas Ranger, interred here.
He passed in 1898, and this is where he came to rest. Today, with over two hundred and fifty graves, the Johnson City Masonic Cemetery stands as what the marker calls an important reminder of early settlers. And I'd say that's putting it about right.
Some reminders whisper. This one endures.
What the marker says
In 1892, local masons Joseph Bird, W.H. Withers and G.M. Nash, on behalf of Johnson City Masonic Lodge No. 561, purchased land at this site from Julia Ann Moore Jjohnson, widow of town founder James Polk Johnson. Early marked graves date from the 1890s and include many community leaders, as well as veterans of military conflicts from the War of 1812 to Vietnam. Also Interred here is the celebrated Texas Ranger Cicero Rufus Perry (d. 1898). With over 250 graves, the historic Johnson City Masonic Cemetery is an important reminder of early settlers. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002