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Colored Graveyard in the Old Town of Hearne

Hearne, Robertson County

Marker Text

This cemetery, now represented by a single grave, was a burial site for African Americans residents of the area. According to folklore, it originated as a farm or slave cemetery. The earliest known burial here dated in 1879, and residents used the graveyard until 1912. In 1947, developers purchased this property; descendants of the interred were forced to move and rebury relatives. However, the children of Hollie Tatnell (d. 1911), a former slave, refused to reinter their mother, forcing developers to build around her grave. Today, this single grave serves as a reminder of the area’s early African-American community and of the sanctity of burial grounds. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2007

Marker Details

Address Wheelock St.
Location Description Wheelock Street, in the middle of the street between Willow and Cypress streets
Marker # 14329
Dedicated 2008
Size, Type 18" x 28"
Code cemetery; African American topics; land development
Latitude, Longitude 30.871275, -96.593148

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