Valera Cemetery

Duane's take

The way I tell it, I'm going by what the official marker says, so let the record show this story comes straight from that source. Now settle in, because this one's about a place that started with a railroad and ended up meaning a whole lot more to the people of Coleman County. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad laid a line about eight miles southwest of Coleman in 1904, and wherever that railroad went, towns had a way of following right behind it.

The town of Valera grew up around the train depot, and its business district ran parallel to the railroad itself, which tells you something about how a town organizes its ambitions. And what a business district it was. A post office, a hotel, a bank, a flour mill, a cotton gin, an opera house, grocery stores, a blacksmith shop, a cafe, and if that weren't enough, a water well right in the middle of the street.

Right in the middle of it. That last detail alone ought to give you a picture of a town that was figuring things out as it went, practical and a little bit stubborn about it. Now, every town that means to last has to reckon with the hard business of remembering its people, and Valera was no different.

In 1922, Mrs. Minnie K. Harris deeded more than five acres of land so the community could have a proper cemetery.

That same year, the first recorded burial took place, that of Mrs. N. C.

Kidwell. More than three hundred marked graves are there now, and at least five that are unmarked, quiet reminders that not every story gets a name attached to it. Among the prominent citizens laid to rest in that ground is Dr.

H. H. Mitchell, born in 1866 and gone by 1927, who first came to Valera in 1905.

He was the only doctor in town, which in a place like Valera meant you wore a lot of hats. Dr. Mitchell helped establish the first school, served as a deacon in the Baptist church, and was president of the First State Bank.

Also buried there is local law enforcement officer Richard A. Pauly. And the cemetery holds veterans, men who answered the call in the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, representing just about every major conflict that touched a generation of Texas families.

Five acres of land, more than three hundred souls, a flour mill and a water well in the middle of the street. That's Valera, and that's the kind of place a cemetery can tell you about if you know how to listen.

What the marker says

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad established a railway line about eight miles southwest of Coleman in 1904. The town of Valera developed in the area around the train depot. Its business district, established parallel to the railroad, reflected the needs of its citizens. Businesses included a post office, a hotel, a bank, a flour mill, a cotton gin, an opera house, grocery stores, a blacksmith shop, a cafe and a water well in the middle of the street. Recognizing the need for a community cemetery, Mrs. Minnie K. Harris deeded more than five acres of land in 1922. One of two cemeteries serving the community, it contains more than 300 marked graves, and at least five unmarked graves. The first recorded burial was that of Mrs. N. C. Kidwell in 1922. Many prominent citizens of the area are buried here, including Dr. H. H. Mitchell (1866-1927) who came to Valera in 1905. The only doctor in town, Dr. Mitchell helped establish the first school, was a deacon in the Baptist church and president of the First State Bank. Also buried here is local law enforcement officer Richard A. Pauly. The cemetery contains burials of veterans from the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. (1996)