Goodgame Cemetery - Henderson County, TX
N 32° 09.236 W 095° 55.345
15S E 224372 N 3561241
Goodgame Cemetery is a Historic Texas Cemetery, dating to 1863, southwest of Athens, TX at the end of Henderson County Rd 1510. It is still active, with nearly 200 burials.
Waymark Code: WMZH90
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/12/2018
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Note that you have a little hike ahead of you, less than a mile. A
locked gate blocks vehicular access to CR 1510, but you can park there and easily go around (although one should keep in mind that someone with a key could come along, desiring access). There is a green highway sign pointing towards the cemetery, and a sign on that gate references cemetery hours. However, there are "No Trespassing" warnings, probably aimed at bad guys who don't respect cemeteries. Be on your extra best behavior, taking only photographs and leaving only footprints. The cemetery is very well-maintained and a nice walk.
A 2006 Texas Historical Marker at the cemetery provides some history:
This cemetery, named for the pioneering Goodgame family, has served the area since the Civil War era. Purchasing acreage in 1857, Floyd Crockett Goodgame (b. 1807) migrated from Alabama to Henderson County with family including his wife, Hulda Crowson (Fulton) and his two sons, James Allen (b. 1829) and John Anderson (b. 1832). The two sons served in the Civil War, becoming officers in the Confederate Army. James Allen and Floyd Crockett Goodgame both passed away in 1869.
John Anderson Goodgame, a schoolteacher before entering military service, continued to teach after returning from combat. He married Martha Malinda Chandler (b. 1836), with whom he raised ten children. He was also a determined civic leader, vital to the establishment of the community of Turkey Creek. One of John Goodgame's daughters, Mary Ann, died while he was at war. Hers is the first recorded burial (1863) in this cemetery. In 1901, Goodgame officially deeded two acres of land here for one dollar to three cemetery trustees: Benjamin McGee, E.B. Stokes and Levi Trammell.
Among those interred in Goodgame Cemetery are veterans of military conflicts, including the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War. The cemetery features curbing, interior fencing, grave slabs and Woodmen of the World gravestones. The Goodgame Cemetery Association cares for the burial ground. Today, this cemetery continues to serve the community and carries on as a reminder of the hardworking pioneers of Henderson County.