Bayou Meto Cemetery was established in 1876 after Allen "Uncle Gip" Gibson donated one acre of land to the local community for use as a cemetery. Gibson, a former Union soldier, was an early settler of the Bayou Meto Community. A skilled carpenter and blacksmith, he was also a local Justice of the Peace. The cemetery was founded after the death of Gibson's one year old nephew, Allen Cooper, who died on May 5, 1876. Serving as the first caretaker, Gibson stated the cemetery should be used free of charge and maintained by free will offerings. In 1881, the Mount Zion Methodist Episcopal Church South was founded by thirteen charter members and constructed in the southwest corner of the cemetery. In 1915, the church building was moved from the cemetery to a location across the road and, in 1968, renamed the Bayou Meto United Methodist Church. More land was donated over time and the cemetery is now over five acres. The Bayou Meta Cemetery Advisory Committee was formed in 1967 to create a general maintenance fund and assist with the future preservation of this important community site.