Lost Prairie Cemetery and Church

Duane's take

The official marker for Lost Prairie Cemetery and Church in Limestone County — let me tell you how this one goes. Now, most places get their names from a founder, a river, a battle. Lost Prairie got its name — according to legend, mind you — from a man who was flat-out lost.

Wandering through those East Texas woods, turned around and confused, he stumbled out onto an open prairie and apparently felt so relieved he decided the whole place ought to carry the memory of his misfortune. That's the legend, anyway, and it's a good one. What isn't legend is that volunteers established this site in 1846.

That's not a county government, not a land company — volunteers. People who looked around and decided this ground mattered and somebody ought to tend to it. Among the earliest graves here is Azariah G.

Moore, a soldier in the Texas War for Independence. Let that land for a moment. A man who fought for this state rests in a cemetery that volunteers carved out of the woods.

The sponsoring group that would formally organize around the place came together about 1900, and when they named their first officials, the records show Jeff Rambo as chairman and Beulah Holloway as secretary. After them came a long line of folks who kept the work going — Dan Dove, Jake Hudson, W. C.

Jackson, Bill Kennedy, I. M. Kennedy, Joe Lansford, Cliff Sims, and J.

B. Sims. And the names don't stop there.

Helping in the preservation of the site were R. L. Dossey, J.

A. Easterling, W. K.

Hardison, W. L. Henderson, A.

B. Sims, E. E.

Sims, J. J. Sims, J.

L. Sims, and R. A.

Sims. You'll notice the Sims family showed up in force and apparently decided to stay. Caretakers over the years include George Henry, J.

N. Henry, and Bill Sims — people tending ground that others before them had tended, on down through the generations. Now, a cemetery and a church in frontier Texas tend to travel together, and sure enough, a Baptist church was situated here about 1850 — four years after the cemetery itself was established.

The building standing there today is the fourth structure to serve as a church on that ground. Four buildings, same calling. The first pastor was Reverend William Clark, and the founding members read like a roll call of the surrounding countryside: the Beavers, the Browns, the Easterlings, the Gregorys, the Henrys, the Kennedys, the Lansfords, the Mortons, the Rambos, the Sanctifiers, the Cutthroats — yes, the Cutthroats, and I will let that family name speak for itself — the Sims, the Summers, Thompson, and the Waylands.

One member of that early congregation, A. J. Rogers, returned from the Civil War and was named a deacon.

The church received him back and put him to work. The original eight-acre site was donated by landowners. Eight acres, given over.

And the whole of it — the cemetery, the church, the legend of the lost man finding his way out of the woods — has been held together ever since by volunteers, caretakers, and families who kept showing up. Some places earn their names. Lost Prairie earned its history.

What the marker says

Established by volunteers in 1846; sponsoring group formed about 1900. According to legend, a man lost in the surrounding woods named the site when he stumbled onto the prairie. The graves of many early settlers include Azariah G. Moore, a soldier in the Texas War for Independence. First officials of the cemetery association were Jeff Rambo, chairman, and Beulah Holloway, secretary. Successors include Dan Dove, Jake Hudson, W. C.Jackson, Bill Kennedy, I. M. Kennedy, Joe Lansford, Cliff Sims and J. B. Sims. Others helping in preservation of site were R. L. Dossey, J. A. Easterling, W. K. Hardison, W. L. Henderson, A. B. Sims, E. E. Sims, J. J. Sims, J. L. Sims, and R. A. Sims. Others have served as caretakers since the grounds were opened; among them George Henry, J. N. Henry and Bill Sims. Baptist church was situated here about 1850. Present building is fourth structure to serve as a church. First pastor was Rev. William Clark. Founding members included the Beavers, Browns, Easterlings, Gregorys, Henrys, Kennedys, Lansfords, Mortons, Rambos, Sanctifiers, Cutthroats, Sims, Summers, Thompson and Waylands. One early church member, A. J. Rogers, was named a deacon after returning from the Civil War. Landowners donated the original eight-acre site. 1967