Ca. 1876, to ensure construction of the East Line & Red River Railroad across his property, Dr. Hamilton J. Avinger donated land for a railroad depot, a Methodist church and this cemetery, establishing a new community bearing his name. Avinger immigrated to Texas from South Carolina in 1855 and first settled in the community of Youngs Chapel (3 mi. N). Other family members soon joined him, establishing lumber mills and other commercial properties.
Two earlier area settlements, approximately four miles apart, existed prior to the founding of Avinger. After the East Line & Red River Railroad Station was established here, many residents of the Youngs Chapel and Hickory Hill (1 mi. S) communities moved to Avinger. The new settlement soon became a shipping point for produce and lumber and grew steadily throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The earliest known burial in the cemetery is of Alice Rhyne (d. 1877), a victim of a typhoid fever epidemic. Others interred here include veterans of conflicts dating to the Civil War as well as those who made vital contributions to the town of Avinger.
As the population of Avinger increased, residents used the burial ground as a community cemetery; it has never been affiliated with a particular church. Community residents have long cared for the graveyard, a treasured institution. The 1936 Study Club of Avinger maintained the burial ground from 1959 until 1963, when the Avinger Cemetery Association organized. Today, the Cemetery Association continues to care for this burial ground, which remains as a record of the early pioneers and leaders of Avinger.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002
Marker is Property of the State of Texas