In a community founded in 1848 by pioneers mostly from Alabama, this cemetery opened with the burial of Capt. John L. Wortham (1841-62), who died in Galveston while serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Col. Luther R. ("Dick") Wortham (1820-74), a merchant and planter who came from Kentucky, gave land around the grave for a cemetery, Woodland College, and a Baptist church. In 1906, the Woodland College building was given to the people of nearby Shiloh for their school. With over 1,000 graves and as the burial place of many local leaders, this cemetery marks the center of the historic community.