St. Joseph Cemetery

Duane's take

The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of St. Joseph Cemetery in Bee County. Now, every town that grew fast in South Texas left behind two kinds of proof.

The living kind, and the other. Beeville was no exception. Back in the late nineteenth century, this town was growing, and I mean impressive growth, the kind that fills up a place with ambition and ranchers and cattlemen and people who crossed oceans just to plant roots in Texas soil.

And where people come, eventually, they stay. So in 1891, a noted bishop by the name of Peter Verdaguer, out of the Brownsville Diocese, purchased a parcel of land here from a man named T. H.

Nott. Two years after that purchase, the first burial took place. The cemetery had found its purpose.

By 1920, the St. Joseph Cemetery Association had organized, stepping up to keep the grounds maintained and dignified. And the people who came to rest here, well, they tell the whole story of a community.

Philanthropists, ranchers, cattlemen, veterans, civic leaders, business leaders. Men and women who emigrated from a number of countries, people who crossed distances most of us can barely imagine, and chose Beeville as their place. Today the Diocese of Corpus Christi and a dedicated crew of volunteers carry on the work of tending these grounds.

Some stories end in a quiet field under a South Texas sky. This one never really stopped.

What the marker says

This cemetery has served the Catholic population of Beeville since the late 19th century, when the town experienced impressive growth. Noted bishop Peter Verdaguer of the Brownsville Diocese purchased land here from T.H. Nott in 1891, and the first burial occurred two years later. The St. Joseph Cemetery Association organized in 1920 to maintain the grounds. Beeville residents buried here include philanthropists, ranchers, cattlemen, veterans, and civic and business leaders. Men and women who emigrated here from a number of countries are also among those interred. Today, the Diocese of Corpus Christi and volunteers provide care for the grounds. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2006