Center, Shelby County
Shady Grove Cemetery Shady Grove Cemetery began with the interment of Anna Sparks Ramsey in September 1878, 13 months before a two-acre tract of land here was deeded as a cemetery. Although Ramsey's husband, George Frank Washington Ramsey, had been buried in nearby Bobo, roads were impassable at the time of her death, so she was buried here. S.C. Mathis and James C. Rhodes each deeded one acre of land in October 1879 for a community burial ground, school and Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Trustees receiving the donation were T.P. Ramsey, J.l. Ramsey and S.C. Mathis. The church was originally on the west side of the cemetery near a spring, but after the sanctuary burned, a new one was built closer to the burial ground under large oak trees. Since its establishment, the cemetery has been cared for by the community. The Cammack family donated a protective fence, and other family names associated with the graveyard's upkeep include Baker, Billingsley, Childs, Collins, Franks, Ramsey and Rhodes. Names found on headstones represent veterans, farmers, teachers, preachers and others, preserving the memory of area residents. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002