Hagansport, once known as Becknal Gap, developed as an agricultural settlement in the mid- to late-19th century. In 1883, Jeptha A. and Sarah Elliott donated land to the community for a school, Methodist church and cemetery. The school, which expanded over the years, operated from 1876 until 1966. The Methodist congregation remained in Hagansport for a century -- from 1882 until 1982.
From the Elliotts' 1883 land donation grew the Hagansport Cemetery. The earliest marked grave belongs to Laura Terry, who died in 1887. The presence of many unmarked graves and burials noted only by stones or cement blocks indicate the hard lives of early area settlers. The types of burials and grave markers demonstrate Southern American traditions, including scraped and mounded graves; wood, metal and cement markers; and grave decorations.
Another surviving tradition is the annual decoration day and reunion, where community residents and descendants of those buried here congregate to clean and work at the cemetery, and to remember the contributions of their ancestors: business owners, lodge members, veterans, farmers, children and pioneers.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2003