Evergreen Cemetery became the burial place for many notable citizens of Paris and Lamar County after the old cemetery near the center of town quickly proved too small as the area grew. In 1866, the Evergreen Cemetery Association was chartered by community leaders to buy land for cemetery purposes, beginning with an initial purchase of sixteen acres from George Wright, followed by additional tracts acquired in 1893, 1907, 1956 and 1957. The first burial is attributed to Lucy Pope Maxey (1794-1866), mother of Samuel Bell Maxey, a West Point graduate, Confederate general, and United States senator, and his wife, Marilda C. Maxey (1833-1908), is also buried there. Most of the cemetery’s eleven incorporators are buried there as well, including Samuel Bell Maxey (1825-1895), Dr. Alfred Simpson Johnson (1814-1881), Albert J. Redding (1821-1900), William Bramlette (1851-1908), and Willet C. Babcock (1828-1881), whose “Jesus in Cowboy Boots” monument draws visitors from across the nation. Its distinctive stonecutting art includes angelic figures and religious imagery, flowers, vines, cotton bales, broken trees, anchors and chains, sheep, a life-size buffalo, and a replica of the front page of the Paris Morning News, reflecting the growth and rich history of Paris and Lamar County.