Mt. Tabor Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's the story as it's told on the official marker for Mt. Tabor Cemetery in Grayson County. Now, some places earn their permanence slowly, quietly, one season at a time.

Mt. Tabor Cemetery is that kind of place. And it starts, like so many Texas stories do, with a man and his wife making a long journey to put down roots.

Burrel Scarbrough was born in 1817, and his wife Harriett, born Melton, came into the world in 1826. Both of them were from Alabama. Somewhere before the Civil War, they made their way to Texas, and after the war had run its course, in 1866, the Scarbroughs purchased land north of Whitesboro from the State of Texas for their farm.

Then in 1878, they added an adjoining 160 acres to that holding. Now, Burrel had an eye for land, and somewhere in all those acres, he looked up at a large hill on the property and saw something more than a rise in the ground. He saw a place where a community could gather, not just in life, but in memory.

He identified that hill as a good site for a community cemetery. On March 13, 1878, Burrel formally deeded 8.5 acres of that land to cemetery trustees Overton Hodges, C.C. Walker, and Robert Wilson.

He put it in writing, made it official, handed it over to the community. And then, eight months after signing that deed, Burrel Scarbrough died. He is buried there, on that very hill, along with Harriett, who passed in 1890, and much of their family.

The name the cemetery was given is Mt. Tabor. Tradition holds it was named for the site in Israel believed to be the site of the Biblical transfiguration of Jesus Christ.

A hill in Texas, named for a hill in the Holy Land. There's a weight to that choice that doesn't need much explaining. The cemetery's first burial with a dated gravestone is that of I.E.

Lindsey in 1868, ten years before Burrel ever signed that deed. There are also references to several early graves that were marked with stones later removed, so the ground had been holding its people quietly, perhaps longer than the records fully show. Over the years, Mt.

Tabor grew. The entrance was constructed from the nearby Munger School House after that building burned in the early 1900s. The school was gone, but its materials were given a new purpose, standing at the gate of a place built for the long keeping of memory.

The cemetery has been enlarged through the years by donations of land and money, and it shows in the care of the place. Notable features include curbed plots, ornate fencing, and an oval-shaped rock road that surrounds the oldest portion of the grounds. Grave markers are mostly made of granite, limestone, and marble.

Among those resting here are veterans of World War One, World War Two, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Generation after generation, carried back to that hill north of Whitesboro. Mt.

Tabor has been cared for by the Sandusky community, primarily guided by the Scarbrough family, for more than 140 years. A man looked at a hill, saw what it could be, deeded it away, and died within the year. And the community has been keeping faith with that gift ever since.

What the marker says

Burrel Scarbrough (1817-1878) and his wife, Harriett (Melton) (1826-1890), both from Alabama, moved to Texas prior to the Civil War. In 1866, the Scarbroughs purchased land north of Whitesboro from the State of Texas for their farm, adding an adjoining 160 acres in 1878. Burrel identified a large hill on the property as a good site for a community cemetery. On March 13, 1878, Burrel formally deeded 8.5 acres of land to cemetery trustees Overton Hodges, C.C. Walker and Robert Wilson. Tradition holds that the cemetery was given the name Mt. Tabor for the site in Israel believed to be the site of the Biblical transfiguration of Jesus Christ. There are references to several early graves being marked with stones which were later removed. The cemetery’s first burial with a dated gravestone is that of I.E. Lindsey in 1868. Burrel Scarbrough died eight months after deeding the property in 1878 and is buried here along with Harriet and much of their family. Other burials include veterans from WWI, WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Notable features include curbed plots, ornate fencing, and an oval-shaped rock road that surrounds the oldest portion of Mt. Tabor Cemetery. Grave markers are mostly made of granite, limestone and marble. The entrance was constructed from the nearby Munger School House after the building burned in the early 1900s. Mt. Tabor Cemetery has been enlarged through the years by donations of land and money. It has been cared for by the Sandusky community, primarily guided by the Scarbrough family, and has served its community and surrounding areas for more than 140 years.