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 Poynor Cemetery Posted by:  Raven
N 32° 04.915 W 095° 35.978
15S E 254632 N 3552473
A marker just inside the grounds of Poynor Cemetery in southeast Henderson County, 0.35 mi North of US Hwy 175, denoting the history of the cemetery (as well as the origin of the name of this local community).
Waymark Code: WMTBEX
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/28/2016
Views: 4
Per the Texas State Historical Association's website: "Poynor (Poyner) is on U.S. Highway 175 overlooking the valley of Caddo Creek, eighteen miles from Athens in southeastern Henderson County. An Indian village was just southwest of the future townsite until 1839, when Gen. Thomas J. Rusk drove the Indians away. The town was laid off by the Texas and New Orleans Railroad when it reached the community in 1901 and was named after D. H. Poynor, a surveyor for the line. The post office was called Poyner from its opening in 1902 to 1919, when the name was corrected to Poynor. Poynor had a population of forty in 1904 and 500 in 1914. At one point it had several general stores, a school, a blacksmith, a gristmill, a cotton gin, a barbershop, and a movie house. In 1950 Poynor reported a population of 230 and eleven businesses. The town reported 259 residents and four businesses in 1989 and 237 residents in 1990. In 2000 the population was 314 with eight businesses."
Marker Number: 16720
Marker Text:
Poynor overlooks the valley of Caddo Creek in the southeast corner of Henderson County, and was established along the Texas and New Orleans Railroad in 1901. Originally, Poynor was known as “David” in honor of David Marion Dickerson (1822-1902), a farmer, veteran, and city official who moved to this area following the civil war. David and his wife, Martha, who passed before the establishment of the cemetery, are buried in a nearby cemetery. Poynor Cemetery began in 1906 when David M. Dickerson’s third son, James L. Dickerson (1864-1928) and his wife, Ida Eugene (Taylor) Dickerson (1877-1908), donated one acre of land for a community cemetery. Through the years, the cemetery expanded through land purchases and gifts. The second acre was sold to the poynor cemetery by the children of J.L. Dickerson in 1954 and the third acre was donated in 1986.
By 1906, three people had already been buried on the property: Mrs. E.G. Baskin in 1905, William H. Raley in 1906, and Carl M. Huston in 1906. Cemetery features include a wrought iron arched gateway on the northeast side and a natural landscape. This cemetery serves as the final resting place for veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The stone and zinc grave markers identify the burials of farmers, politicians, businessmen, teachers, and their families. The Poynor Cemetery association remains active in the community and continues to maintain the cemetery that serves as a historical location for many of the early pioneers in the area who worked hard to make the community what it is today.
Historic Texas Cemetery * 2006
Marker is Property of the State of Texas
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Visit Instructions:
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