| Marker Text |
This cemetery is the final resting place of many ancestors of Cedar Creek’s oldest African American lineages. After Emancipation, African American families could now travel to make their living. Many found refuge in Texas freedom colonies, such as Cedar Creek Colony in Bastrop County. About one-quarter of African Americans were able to accumulate land, no small feat in the Texas system which prioritized white land ownership. One such black landowner was Cedar Creek resident Saul (or Sol) Wright and his wife, Mary. The Wrights donated the first two acres of land to become a burying ground for the freedmen living in Cedar Creek. The Wrights had traditionally been buried in Shiloh Cemetery in Bastrop; however, travel difficulties and other hardships necessitated a burial ground closer to home. The Wrights opened the cemetery to all neighboring families.
Saul maintained the cemetery until his death on July 2, 1931. Later, it has been cared for by his son, Dempsey Wright; Dempsey’s daughter, Dorothy Wright Peterson; C.L. Jones, Jr.; members of the Aldridge and Alexander families; and finally, the Saul Wright Cemetery of Cedar Creek Committee. It is unknown when the first burial occurred; however, it is estimated that the site has been used for burials since the time of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Many of the earliest graves were unmarked and several gravestones are too difficult to read. The earliest legible gravestone is that of Annie Edmondson (d. 1919). Veterans buried at Saul Wright Cemetery include Alroy Breeding (1892-1971) who served in WWI, and Dock Alexander (1896-1972), John O. Alexander (1928-1988) and T.C. “Walter” Alexander (1923-1985) who served in WWII. The cemetery memorializes these courageous and industrious generations. (HTC 2019) |
