Mason Cemetery - Jack County, TX
N 33° 19.554 W 098° 22.387
14S E 558345 N 3687592
A single headstone stands in an enclosure off the side of FM 1191, about eighteen miles northwest of Jacksboro, marking the final resting places of Tom Mason and his wife, Mary Ann, who were murdered in 1858.
Waymark Code: WM12M17
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 06/13/2020
Views: 2
Tom Mason and his wife, Mary Ann, rest in peace inside a modern, fenced-in enclosure that is well-shaded. A single headstone stands here, reading:
Tom
Mason
& Wife
Killed by
Indians
Apr. 18,
1858
Erected by
Kutch Man[n]ing
Associates
-----
The Masons were found dead and full of arrows on their homestead near here, and as no casket could be obtained, they were buried together about twenty feet from this location and covered by their wagon, the grave marked by a large sandstone. One of their children had survived the attack, and she was able to identify one of the killers. There are some contemporary articles to be found on their Findagrave pages, and it's interesting to read that, while the headstone reads "Killed by Indians", the bad guys had some pale faces as group members (and possibly leaders), and they killed another family around the same time. It doesn't appear that the Natives were ever brought to justice, but a posse did catch four men from Lampasas County, and all danced at the end of a rope for their work.
In 1936, the Kutch-Manning Associates -- an organization which located and marked historical graves and other places of interest -- erected this monument. In 1955, when the road through here was being planned, the Masons were exhumed, put together in a casket, and moved to this site.
There is some space along the road to pull off to park, but beware of mud, and if in doubt, apply your parking brake, as there's something of an incline.