FIRST Recorded Burial in Gunsight Cemetery - Gunsight, TX
N 32° 32.459 W 098° 52.378
14S E 511927 N 3600410
A 1995 Texas Historical Marker at the site of the town of Gunsight, a virtual ghost today, notes that the first burial here was that of Lewis McCleskey, back in 1877.
Waymark Code: WMZX5Z
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/16/2019
Views: 1
This settlement was named for the nearby Gunsight Mountain, but it's not clear as to how the mountain got its name. Today, Gunsight is a rural community with maybe five or six residents, and at this site are an old church, the cemetery, and what appears to be the old school.
This young boy's headstone has "Gone Home" at the top, with a finger below it, pointing Heavenward. It reads:
Lewis B.
Son of
J.B. & S.A.
McCleskey
Born May
9, 1875
Died Jan
27, 1877
The historical marker provides some background:
Records indicate that Gunsight existed on a wagon road from Fort Griffin to Stephenville in 1858. Settlement of the town, however, did not occur until the 1870s. The first recorded burial here was that of Lewis McCleskey in 1877. Gunsight developed as a stage stop and by 1880 contained a post office, school, two churches, gristmill, general store, and a cotton gin. The local economy, sustained by cotton farming and ranching, was boosted by an area oil boom in the 1920s. The town began a steady decline after World War II and today consists of a few houses, a few buildings, and this cemetery.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 01/27/1877
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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