Magnolia Springs Cemetery

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of Magnolia Springs Cemetery, out in Jasper County. Two brothers, Alexander and Sherod Wright, came into this corner of East Texas about 1824 and put down roots in a place folks would come to call Pinetucky. That name has a certain character to it, doesn't it.

But Pinetucky wouldn't stay Pinetucky forever. When the post office opened in 1850, the settlement was renamed Magnolia Springs, and under that name it grew into something that mattered. The earliest known grave in this community burial ground belongs to Anna, the wife of Sherod Wright, one of those founding brothers.

She died on July 25, 1858, at the age of sixty. There's a weight to that, knowing the woman connected to the very man who helped start all this was among the first laid to rest here. Then in 1860, Fellowship Baptist Church purchased twelve acres of land for a church and cemetery, and for a number of years the local Baptist and Methodist congregations shared a single frame church building sitting north of the cemetery property.

Two denominations, one building. That takes a certain kind of neighborly patience. The graveyard kept growing.

In 1902 the black congregation of Springhill Church bought four point two acres adjoining the south side, enlarging the burial ground for their own purposes. Among the more than nine hundred marked and unmarked graves here, you'll find some of the early leaders of this community. The Reverend John Bean, born 1792, died 1871, a Baptist preacher.

Nathan Corley, died 1871, one of the founders of the Masonic Lodge that carries his name. Aurin G. Horn, born 1793, died 1858, a wealthy plantation owner.

And Dr. Ransom P. Sholars, born 1812, the area's first physician.

Over nine hundred graves, stretching from the earliest days of this settlement all the way forward. Some of the names are marked. Some are not.

But they're all here, in the ground of a place that started as Pinetucky and became Magnolia Springs, because two brothers showed up about 1824 and decided this was worth staying for.

What the marker says

Originally known as Pinetucky, this community was first settled by Alexander and Sherod Wright, two brothers who arrived about 1824. The settlement was renamed Magnolia Springs when the post office opened in 1850. The earliest known interment in this community burial ground is that of Sherod Wright's wife Anna, who died on July 25, 1858, at the age of 60. In 1860 Fellowship Baptist Church purchased 12 acres of land for a church and cemetery. For a number of years, the local Baptist and Methodist congregations shared a frame church building located north of the cemetery property. The graveyard was enlarged in 1902, when the black congregation of Springhill Church bought 4.2 acres adjoining the south side for burial purposes. Many early leaders of the community are buried here, including the Rev. John Bean (1792-1871), a Baptist preacher; Nathan Corley (d. 1871), one of the founders of the Masonic Lodge that bears his name; Aurin G. Horn (1793-1858), a wealthy plantation owner; and Dr. Ransom P. Sholars (b. 1812), the area's first physician. Magnolia Springs Cemetery contains over 900 marked and unmarked graves.