The town of Bolivar was laid out by Dr. Hiram Daily in 1852 with a burial plot on nearby high ground, and though the site had probably been used as a burial ground for many years, the earliest marked grave is that of 4-month-old Zolly Cofer Waide, who was born and died in 1863. G. A. Grissom, a prominent Bolivar Masonic leader, died in 1876, and after his interment Bolivar Lodge No. 418, A. F. & A. M. and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 221 set aside five newly purchased acres, including the graveyard, for community burials, with a decorative fence installed across the front that year. Many monuments were erected by the Woodmen of the World organization. Many of the nine adults and eight infants buried in 1892 were victims of a nationwide influenza epidemic, and another influenza epidemic in 1918 claimed more lives. Bolivar citizens of all walks of life were buried there, including members of farming and ranching families, business people, educators, physicians, ministers, and veterans of the Mexican War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Operated by the board of trustees of the Bolivar Cemetery Association, the burial ground continues to serve area residents, many of whom are descendants of those who shaped the history of Bolivar and Denton County, and it remains a record of the area's pioneer settlers.