Pioneer Memorial - Stoneburg, TX
N 33° 40.814 W 097° 51.953
14S E 605126 N 3727279
A memorial stands near the front of Oak Hill Cemetery, east of Stoneburg, TX, honoring those area pioneers who maintained this cemetery for its first 100 years.
Waymark Code: WMR41W
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/10/2016
Views: 1
The Handbook of Texas Online provides some background about Stoneburg: (
visit link)
Stoneburg is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and Farm Road 1806, two miles northwest of Bowie Lake Dam and fifteen miles west of Montague in west central Montague County. A settlement began in the early 1870s. In 1883 school was conducted by W. T. Small on a ranch between Stoneburg and Bowie, twelve miles to the south. In 1893 the tracks of the Chicago, Rock Island and Texas Railway reached the area. That year a post office was established named Riley, but after five months the name was changed to Stoneburg, in honor of J. M. Stone, an area rancher who donated land for the townsite when the railroad arrived. By the early 1900s the town's population surpassed 150. Until the Great Depression the number of residents remained above 100. The post office closed on March 31, 1954. Since World War II the population has steadily declined, dropping to fifty-one by the late 1980s. In 1989 the town had only a service station and two churches. Through 2000 the reported population was still fifty-one.
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This red, granite monument stands about twelve feet tall, and has text on both sides. On the front, there are pioneer-themed scenes near the top, and oil field scenes near the bottom. The text is:
The First 100 Years
1870
Oak Hill Cemetery
Dedicated to the memory of the pioneers who secured and respectfully maintained this cemetery for its first 100 years.
Having had a tender, loving, respectful attitude for their deceased, they have inspired us to erect this monument as a deserving memory of them.
May all who read this be inspired by the influence of those buried here to continue to maintain this burial ground until time shall be no more.
May 3, 1970
Erected by Those Who Care
On the reverse, there is no detail, only text:
1870 - The First 100 Years - 1970
Historical record filed in 1878: Montague County Courthouse: Transfer of these three acres of land "to the dead."
Oak Hill Cemetery
This monument erected to God and dedicated to his holy name. Speaks to you in solemn though. As the quiet essential part of our American way of life: Speaking out as a voice from yesterday to you and to ages yet unborn.
To the Glory of God