Ryan Cemetery, also known as Ryan's Graveyard, served the rural community of Tarkington since at least the 1860s. The farming and ranching community, named for early pioneer settler Burton B. Tarkington and also known as Tarkington Prairie, thrived after the Civil War. Many veterans and pioneers are buried there, and the first marked grave dates from 1863 for 10-year-old William E. West. The cemetery was named for early settler John Jacob Ryan, who owned the surrounding land after arriving in Liberty County from Ireland between 1850 and 1860 and becoming a prosperous businessman with a store on his property. In August 1873, Ryan was found shot to death on the public road near the cemetery; although three men were indicted for his murder, they were eventually acquitted, and Ryan's burial site is unknown. In 1908, the property was conveyed to the Rural Shade Baptist Church, which maintained the cemetery until 1989, when the Ryan Cemetery Association assumed management. Many early church members are buried there along with other pioneer settlers, community leaders, and veterans dating to the Texas Revolution, including Civil War veterans Charles Matthew Rice and Jessie Burton Gillen. The Tarkington Prairie Masonic Lodge No. 798 was also historically associated with the cemetery, and many charter members have been buried there since its founding in 1878. An annual memorial service draws descendants and citizens to celebrate the community's heritage.