Grove Hill Cemetery - Leonard, TX
N 33° 25.930 W 096° 13.195
14S E 758470 N 3702655
Grove Hill Cemetery dates to 1862, but it is still fairly active, with just over a thousand burials, located north of Leonard on FM 1553. There are no signs, there is no gate.
Waymark Code: WMXJH9
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/19/2018
Views: 0
The Methodist church and the adjacent cemetery are about all that is left of Grove Hill, and a 1981 Texas Historical Marker provides some background:
The earliest settler in this area was George M. Smith, a native of Georgia, who moved here in 1844. By the early 1850s, a community had developed and a post office was established under the name Oak Hill. The first church, a Baptist congregation, was organized in 1855 at the home of pioneer settler Joseph Ring. During the Civil War several residents formed a Confederate militia unit known as the Oak Hill Home Guard.
The first church building, completed in 1869, was also used for Masonic lodge meetings and school classes. In 1878 William Thomas Clark, F.K. Taylor, and T.C. Cobb, trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, purchased four acres at this site for a community schoolhouse, sanctuary, and cemetery.
The earliest marked grave in the community burial ground is that of William B.A. Thomas (d. 1862). Other graves include those of pioneer settlers and at least one former slave, Jack Sudderth (1799-1898).
The settlement of Grove Hill began to decline in the early 1880s after the nearby railroad town of Leonard (3.5 mi. SW) was established. The Masonic lodge moved there soon after and the school merged with the Leonard District in 1942.
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The paragraph that refers to the first church building refers to the Methodist church building, which burned in 1947 while the congregation was having a revival on the grounds. The pews were outside at the time, so they were saved, and a new sanctuary was built from what remained of the old school down the road. The congregation worshiped here until February of 2015, when fire struck again. This new sanctuary was completed in late 2017, and life begins anew.
City, Town, or Parish / State / Country: Leonard, TX
Approximate number of graves: 1000+
Cemetery Status: Active
Cemetery Website: [Web Link]
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