Black Cemetery
N 32° 56.009 W 099° 14.769
14S E 476988 N 3643939
Texas Historical Marker at what Findagrave calls the "Rural Pioneer Cemetery", the African American cemetery just a little west of the old Fort Griffin townsite. There are about a dozen people buried here, and the marker provides some background.
Waymark Code: WM11GWQ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/22/2019
Views: 4
The actual cemetery is behind a locked gate, just up the dirt road, and while there are no signs prohibiting visitors, you are on ranch land here and should be on your best behavior. Sturdy clothing and footwear are also a good idea. To reach the marker, take an unnamed county road (which could be CR 184, and you'll see the old Fort Griffin site up on the hill) from US 283 a bit northwest towards the old Fort Griffin town site. Two historical markers will greet you: To the right is the old site, and to the left is a road you can follow to the west to reach the cemetery. Be sure to not block anybody's access. If you follow the road to the north, you won't be far from the actual Fort Griffin Cemetery, which receives a similar lack of maintenance.
Marker Number: 17611
Marker Text:
This pioneer burial ground contains more than a dozen graves of African Americans. The land was part of the Veals addition to the town of Fort Griffin. Milton Sutton bought the property at public auction in April 1882. Two visible markers are for Elijah Earls (d. 1880), who the Fort Griffin Echo reported as a "tonsorial artist," or barber, and Marriah McKay Williams (1781-1891), who came to Fort Davis (Stephens Co.) before the Civil War as a free black. The Echo also reported the June 1880 burial of James Lowe in this cemetery. Most of the other burials are unknown. When Fort Griffin disbanded, many African Americans stayed nearby and homesteaded. Here, their lives as ranchers, farmers, cowboys and domestics are remembered.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2009
Marker is Property of the State of Texas
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