The Hallsville Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna do my best to do it justice. Now, every town's got a beginning, and Hallsville's began in 1869 when railroad developers established it right there in Harrison County. Wherever the railroad went, life followed.

And wherever life follows, well, you're going to need a place for what comes after. The land for a cemetery was secured not long after the town took root. Then in 1875, the James F.

Taylor Masonic Lodge No. 169 made it official. They acquired three acres from the railroad, which by that point had taken on the name the Texas and Pacific, and they dedicated that ground as a community burial ground. Three acres near the rail line, set aside for the people of Hallsville to rest in.

Here's a detail that'll stay with you. The earliest marked burial, that of Mrs. G.

C. Russell, happened in 1875, right while that land transaction was still in progress. The paperwork wasn't even finished, and already the ground was doing its work.

Some of the folks who came to rest there hadn't started out in Hallsville at all. Burials were transferred in from two older communities, Ash Springs, about two miles to the northeast, and Fort Crawford, about two miles to the southwest. As most of their settlers moved to Hallsville and the railhead, they brought their people with them.

And this place became more than just a cemetery. Come May, starting in the nineteen twenties, cemetery cleaning days turned into something the whole community looked forward to. Children were encouraged to take part, to learn about their ancestors while helping tend the family plots.

Politicians would come out and speak to the crowds before spring primary elections. Veterans were honored on war memorial days. It was a gathering place as much as a resting place.

By 1947, the community wanted to make sure this ground would be cared for, always. So a cemetery association was formed that year, dedicated to perpetual care and the acquiring of more land. Several additions were made through the generosity of the railroad.

Formal entrance gates, landscaping, other improvements, all of it sponsored by the association. A community built by a railroad, burying its dead on railroad land, tended by its own people decade after decade. There's something in that circle that feels about as Texan as anything I know.

What the marker says

After the establishment of Hallsville in 1869 by railroad developers, land was secured here for a cemetery. In 1875 the James F. Taylor Masonic Lodge No. 169 acquired from the railroad (by then named the Texas & Pacific) three acres of land near the rail line and dedicated it as a community burial ground. The earliest marked burial is that of Mrs. G. C. Russell in 1875, taking place while the land transaction was in progress. Some burials from the older communities of Ash Springs (2 mi. NE) and Fort Crawford (2 mi. SW) were transferred here, as most of their settlers moved to Hallsville and the railhead. Since the 1920s cemetery cleaning days during May served as community gatherings. Children were encouraged to take part and learn about their ancestors while helping to maintain family plots. Politicians spoke to the crowds before spring primary elections, and veterans were honored on war memorial days. A cemetery association was formed in 1947 to ensure perpetual care and acquire more land. Several additions were made through the generosity of the railroad. Formal entrance gates, landscaping and other improvements have been sponsored by the association. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986