DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker at Restlawn Cemetery tells it, here's the story as Duane's passing it along to you. This is a small piece of ground in Hidalgo County — half an acre, to be precise — and what it represents is something a lot bigger than its size would suggest. Because this property is believed to be the only graveyard in the entire county dedicated for African American burials.
Let that settle in for a moment while the road rolls by. Before 1928, if you were Black and you lived and worked and built a life in this corner of South Texas, your burial options came down to whatever space a private ranch cemetery might allow. That was the reality.
Then, in the 1920s, Edinburg had a growing Black community — domestic workers, agricultural workers, entrepreneurs — people putting down roots, building something. And eventually, the question of a dedicated burial ground had to be answered. The man who answered it was A.Y.
Baker, the county sheriff, who also served as director of the Hillcrest Cemetery Association. Baker designated a half-acre in the undeveloped northwest corner of Hillcrest for what was called, plainly and without ceremony, a Black Cemetery. That was 1928.
The name it carries now — Restlawn — didn't come until 1993, when it was renamed. The oldest grave here is unmarked. It belongs to Leonard Bass, who died in 1928 — the very year this ground was set aside.
There's something quietly powerful about that. The first soul laid to rest in a place finally made for people like him. And then there's Jacob White, a World War II veteran who died in 1945, and who is also among those interred here.
His name lives on beyond this cemetery — local American Legion Post 884 was named for him. A man honored in two places: one of stone and earth, one of living community. Half an acre.
A renamed cemetery. An unmarked grave and a veteran's legacy. Hidalgo County's only dedicated African American burial ground holds more history than its borders might suggest — and now you know it's out here, waiting quiet along the road.
What the marker says
This property is believed to be the only graveyard in Hidalgo County dedicated for African American burials. Prior to its founding in 1928, blacks were allowed burial space only in private ranch cemeteries. In the 1920s, Edinburg had a growing black community of domestic and agricultural workers and entrepreneurs. A.Y. Baker, county sheriff and director of the Hillcrest Cemetery Association, designated a half-acre in the undeveloped northwest corner of Hillcrest for a "Black Cemetery," which was renamed Restlawn in 1993. The oldest grave, unmarked, is for Leonard Bass (d. 1928). World War II veteran Jacob White (d. 1945), for whom local American Legion Post 884 was named, is also among those interred here. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004