Wharton Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Wharton Cemetery. Now settle in, because this one goes back a good ways. Wharton County was established in 1846, and the county seat, Wharton, was laid out on the Mexican land grant of a man known as an Old 300 colonist, William Kincheloe.

That's the founding stock right there, the kind of names that show up carved in stone. And sure enough, not long after the war between the states, in 1866, county commissioners appointed a man named James Whitten to go find a suitable location for a cemetery. What Whitten found was that the ground had already made up its mind.

The site he chose, just a few blocks from the courthouse square, was already being used as a graveyard. Some places just call to 'em. The oldest marked burial belongs to Barbara Betts, who passed in 1843.

Think about that. The county wasn't even formally established yet, and Barbara Betts was already restin' in that ground. Official plats were drawn up in 1912 and again in 1928, and what those maps reveal are the burial sites of Wharton's earliest families, city founders, important figures.

One name that stands out is Amanda Armstrong Watts, who died in 1924. She was the first public schoolteacher in Wharton, back in 1880, and then served as city postmistress in 1881. The kind of person a town is built around, quietly and permanently.

More than a hundred and forty veterans are buried here, soldiers who served in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Conflict. Generation after generation, answering the call, and coming home to this same piece of ground. The cemetery itself is something to look at.

Obelisks reaching up. Brick cairns. Decorated fencing.

Curbed plots. A large number of vertical stones standing at attention in a way that feels entirely fitting. A marker from 1931 tells us the city had a cemetery committee as early as 1906, and a committee still maintains the burial ground to this day.

They are keepin' the history of Wharton for future generations, tending the ground the same way that ground has been tending Wharton's story since before the county even had a name.

What the marker says

Wharton County was established in 1846, and the county seat, Wharton, was laid out on the Mexican land grant of "Old 300" colonist William Kincheloe. In 1866, county commissioners appointed James Whitten to find a suitable location for a cemetery. The site chosen was just a few blocks from the courthouse square and was already used as a graveyard. The oldest marked burial is that of Barbara Betts (d. 1843). Official plats of the cemetery in 1912 and 1928 show the burial sites of many of Wharton's earliest families, city founders and important figures, such as Amanda Armstrong Watts (d. 1924), first public schoolteacher in Wharton in 1880 and city postmistress in 1881. More than 140 veterans are buried here, including those who served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korean War and Vietnam Conflict. The Wharton Cemetery exhibits detail in planning and development. Features include obelisks, brick cairns, decorated fencing, curbed plots and a large number of vertical stones. A 1931 marker indicates the city had a cemetery committee as early as 1906. A committee still maintains the burial ground, preserving the history of Wharton for future generations. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002