Fairview Cemetery - Van Zandt County, TX
N 32° 36.205 W 096° 01.804
14S E 778725 N 3611216
Fairview Cemetery, used by the vanished community of Fairview in Van Zandt County, TX, is now abandoned and neglected, inactive since the 1940s. There are at least thirteen burials here.
Waymark Code: WMZNEP
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 12/07/2018
Views: 4
The Handbook of Texas Online lists multiple communities in the state known as "Fairview", but this one is not among them. Given the paucity of burials in the cemetery, that's not much of a surprise, but it's interesting to note that, in 2018, there are signs out on FM 47 pointing not only towards the cemetery, but also to Fairview itself. It's just residences at this point.
A 1996 Texas Historical Marker is on the north side of Van Zandt County Rd 2621, and it provides some history:
R.H. Reeves donated one acre of land in 1875 to the Fairview community for church and school purposes. A one-room log schoolhouse was erected on the site, and part of the land was set aside for a cemetery. The oldest documented burial in the cemetery is that of Susanna Carter in 1876. Most of the graves were dug by family members and friends. In 1945 the last burial occurred at the Fairview Cemetery.
After the log school burned down, another wooden school building was constructed on the site. When the student population increased, another room was added, making the schoolhouse an L-shaped structure. Pupils and their teachers either walked to school or rode horses or mules. Many teachers boarded with local residents.
In the early 1920s, the two-room school was torn down, and the lumber was used in part to erect a larger three-room school. J.F. Liston donated land to the school in 1924 for a teacherage and playground.
The economy of the area was dependent on cotton farming. Cotton production declined in the 1930s-40s, and many families moved away. The school closed in 1945, but was used as a community center for many years until it was destroyed by fire in 1995.
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The Van Zandt County Webpage has some good reading about this cemetery's restoration back in 1991 as part of an Eagle Scout project. The promised map doesn't seem to be available anywhere, but the culvert that was placed is a good clue for those without GPS units who are trying to find the cemetery. The historical marker is standing on the site of the old school, and it's easy to believe that the cemetery is to the north of the site, beyond the fence, but it is actually across the road, to the south. There are no signs or gate, and you'll have to be in deep in order to spot the fence around the perimeter. Findagrave lists thirteen burials with photos for eleven headstones, and you'll be very lucky to see all of them. The cemetery has gone full circle, ready for another Eagle Scout to come in, and you'll want to be wearing heavy gear and bring (at the very least) pruners to get rid of heavy brush. A sickle or machete would be optimal, it is that dense in there. Be careful of holes where animals live, and it goes without saying that the winter months are probably for the best, if only to avoid snakes. Be on the lookout for other wildlife, though.