Rocksprings began in 1889 when J.R. Sweeten dug the first water well in the area for new settlers. In 1892, Sweeten donated two acres for a community cemetery, although some burials had already taken place there, including those of Willie J. Blackwell and Ben Smith in 1891. In its early years, many people buried in Rocksprings Cemetery were travelers passing through the area. Among its more than one thousand graves are those of victims of the devastating tornado that struck the town on April 12, 1927. Over time, additional land acquisitions enlarged the cemetery, and iron fencing that once surrounded some grave sites was donated to scrap metal drives during World War II. The Rocksprings Cemetery Association, which began in 1897 and was formally chartered by the state in 1967, has continued to maintain the historic graveyard through projects such as surveys and landscaping, preserving a visible link to the community's past.