Oakville Cemetery

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's what you ought to know about Oakville Cemetery. Now, most cemeteries will keep their secrets and let you walk right past. This one's got a story worth stopping for.

The land itself goes back to 1831, when it came into the world as part of the McMullen McGloin land grant from Mexico. That's the original deed, so to speak, on this whole stretch of Live Oak County ground. A long time passed, and then in 1857, a man named Thos.

Wilson made a donation, gave this parcel over to become a cemetery. And while he was in a giving mood, he also gave land for the Main Town Square. One man, two gifts, and a town takes shape around them.

Among the graves resting in that donated ground, you'll find J.T. James, the founder of Oakville himself. The man who put this place on the map is buried in it.

There are early pioneers out there too, and the organizers of Live Oak County, the people who looked at raw Texas land and decided to make something of it. That's the thing about an old cemetery. It doesn't just hold the dead.

It holds the whole beginning of a place.

What the marker says

Donated in 1857 by Thos. Wilson, who also gave land for Main Town Square. The property was originally part of the 1831 McMullen McGloin land grant from Mexico. Among graves are those of J.T. James, the founder of Oakville; early pioneers; and organizers of Live Oak County.