Joseph F. Smith, nephew of Texas' provisional governor Henry Smith, founded the town of St. Mary's in 1857. Ten acres were set aside for this burial ground, where the earliest marked grave dates to 1860. The cemetery served the thriving community until an 1886 storm destroyed businesses and homes and caused residents to move away. In 1909, when land development returned to the area, the cemetery was used again. The burial site of war veterans and pioneer settlers of the area, it remains a reminder of the important early coastal town of St. Mary's.