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 St. Mary's Cemetery
N 31° 46.492 W 097° 05.279
14R E 681055 N 3517072
Texas Historical Marker commemorating the establishment of St. Mary's Cemetery, noting its extensive cultural heritage.
Waymark Code: WMGVA8
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2013
Views: 15
Marker Number: 4469
Marker Text:
Early Catholic settlers in northern McLennan County worshipped at St. Martin's Church in Tours, five miles southeast of present West. After more immigrant Catholic families of Czech, Moravian, Slovak, and German origin moved to the area in the late 19th century, a new parish was established in West. St. Mary's Church of the Assumption was built in 1892, and in 1893 Joseph and Maria Hromadka sold land at this site to the Catholic Diocese for development as a cemetery.
The oldest documented graves in the cemetery are those of Vaclav Masek (1838-1892) and Mary Cocek (1875-1893) Among the more than 2,700 persons buried here are pioneer settlers, immigrants, military veterans, members of several generations of some families, and priests who have served St. Mary's Parish. The Rev. Monsignor Joseph Pelnar (1865-1940), who led the parish for forty years, is buried beneath the large stone cross in the western section of the graveyard. Many of the graves are marked with distinctive marble tombstones or metal ornamentation; a large number of inscriptions and epitaphs are in the Czech language. The cemetery serves as a visible image of the area's rich cultural history. (1996)
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Visit Instructions:
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