Old Settlers Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Old Settlers Cemetery in Brazoria County. Now settle in, because this one starts with a railroad and ends with the quiet dignity of a town that refused to quit. The railroad came pushing through north Brazoria County in 1882, and wherever the rails went, people followed.

This stretch of land first went by the name Mark Belt, but by 1894 the townsite was platted and given a new name: Pearland, on account of the abundance of pear orchards growing in the vicinity. Someone with a good head for promotion cooked up an advertising campaign highlighting the favorable farm conditions, and through the 1890s settlers came streaming in, chasing the promise of fertile ground and a fresh start. Now, Texas has a way of testing people.

Storms rolled through. A hard freeze bit into homes and crops in those early years, and more than a few settlers packed their things and moved on. But many stayed.

They dug in, built permanent homes, and made something of the place. And as any community that means to last will do, they began putting their dead to rest. The first burial in what would become the community graveyard was that of a pioneer named Echolean C.

Ackerly, who died August 11, 1894. Four years after that, her burial plot and the land surrounding it was officially dedicated as a cemetery. Six Civil War veterans are interred there among the settlers.

Walk through that ground and you can read the whole history of how people thought about remembering their dead. The early practice was scraping the earth over the graves, plain and spare. Then came cement paving, then gravel cover, then brick.

The gravestones themselves tell the same story, ranging from simple stone markers to tombstones carved with elaborate decorations. Old Settlers Cemetery served as the primary community burial ground all the way until 1936, and it stands to this day as a reminder of Pearland's earliest chapter. That pear-orchard town, tested by storm and freeze, still tending to its own.

What the marker says

(0.2 miles west) Settlement of this area began as a result of railroad development through north Brazoria County in 1882. First known as Mark Belt, the townsite was platted in 1894 and named Pearland because of the abundance of pear orchards in the vicinity. An advertising campaign featuring favorable farm conditions brought many settlers to the area in the 1890s. Although some were discouraged by storm and freeze damage to their homes and crops in the early years, many remained and established permanent homes. A community graveyard was begun with the burial of pioneer Echolean C. Ackerly, who died August 11, 1894. Four years later her burial plot and the surrounding land was officially dedicated as a cemetery. Six Civil War veterans are interred in the graveyard. The cemetery contains many types of burials. The early practice of scraping the earth over graves was followed by cement paving, gravel cover, and bricking. Styles of gravestones range from simple stone markers to tombstones featuring elaborately carved decorations. Old Settlers Cemetery remained the primary community burial ground until 1936. It continues to serve as a reminder of Pearland's early history. (1988)