Rosenberg Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Rosenberg Cemetery in Fort Bend County. Now, some places earn their history all at once, in one grand moment. But this cemetery, it came together the slow way, piece by piece, the way a lot of things in Texas really do.

Three separate cemeteries, sitting right up next to each other, until time and the city of Rosenberg finally pulled them into one. Let me walk you through it. The story starts with the Woodmen of the World, Rosenberg Camp No. 535 to be precise.

In 1905, that camp bought eight acres from a man named R.T. Mulcahy, and they set about establishing a proper burial ground. The intention was straightforward: this cemetery was to be used only by W.O.W. members and their families.

Fair enough. But not long after that, the camp bought a strip of land connecting the cemetery to a city street, and that strip became Magnolia Street. And here is where things get interesting, because the land on either side of Magnolia Street, to the west and to the east, well, that became two new cemeteries.

The Moers cemetery on the west side, the Klauke cemetery on the east. W.C. Moers established his graveyard in 1935, ran it for a few years, then in 1940 sold his remaining lots to a man named Fred E.

Klauke, who had already gotten his own cemetery started the previous year. Meanwhile, the City of Rosenberg had purchased the original W.O.W. cemetery back in 1937. Then in 1973, the city came back and bought the Moers and Klauke sites as well.

Three graveyards, born separately, now known together as the Rosenberg Cemetery. The burials go back to the 1890s, and among those grave markers, you will find the names of the city's early settlers and leaders. All that history, growing quietly out of eight acres and a strip of land that became a street.

What the marker says

The Rosenberg Cemetery, formerly the Woodmen of the World (W.O.W.) Cemetery, had its beginnings in three separate but adjacent cemeteries--the W.O.W. Cemetery, and Moers and Klauke additions. Although it includes burials dating to the 1890s, the W.O.W. Cemetery was established by Rosenberg Camp No. 535 in 1905, when the group bought eight acres from R.T. Mulcahy. The cemetery was originally to be used only by W.O.W. members and their families. Soon after establishing the burial ground, the W.O.W. camp bought a strip of land connecting the cemetery to a city street. This strip became Magnolia Street, and the land to the west and east of it became the Moers and Klauke cemeteries respectively. W.C. Moers established his graveyard in 1935 and in 1940 sold his remaining lots to Fred E. Klauke, who had started his cemetery the previous year. The City of Rosenberg, which bought the W.O.W. cemetery in 1937, purchased the Moers and Klauke sites in 1973, and today the three graveyards are known together as Rosenberg Cemetery. The names of the city's early settlers and leaders can be found among the grave markers. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002