Hemphill Cemetery

The burials in Hemphill Cemetery reflect the early history of Hemphill as a developing commercial center and seat of government. The oldest marked grave dates from 1867, nine years after the town was founded. That early gravestone marks the burial site of pioneer settler Marier C. Morris (1845-1867), the daughter of Jubal H. Ragan, an early area physician. Although early records of the cemetery were lost in an 1875 courthouse fire, the original tract of land for the burial ground is believed to have been donated by Simon Newsome Beckom and William T. Morris, and the site was later enlarged by additional donations of property. The first school in the area, the Sabine Valley Institute, stood in a Masonic Lodge building on adjacent land that was also used for early religious services. Burials here include pioneer settlers, prominent local merchants and businessmen, veterans of several wars, early community leaders, elected officials of city, county, and district government, and Simeon R. Williams, who served the area as a state legislator. Still in use, Hemphill Cemetery remains tied to the area's rich heritage.

Hemphill, Texas · United States