Details for Buckner Cemetery

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5085000554

Data

Marker Number 554
Atlas Number 5085000554
Marker Title Buckner Cemetery
Index Entry Buckner Cemetery
Address 4202 W. University Dr.
City McKinney
County Collin
UTM Zone 14
UTM Easting 717364
UTM Northing 3677981
Subject Codes cemetery; pioneers; communities; counties; Native American topics
Marker Year 1988
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark No
Marker Location Buckner Cemetery, N side of W. University Dr. (US 380), 0.2 mi. W of N. Hardin Blvd. 1988 subject marker and 2001 HTC marker. HTC marker reported missing, replacement pending Aug. 2022.
Private Property No
Marker Condition In Situ
Marker Size 27" x 42"
Marker Text The land surrounding this historic cemetery was part of a grant obtained by John McGarrah, a member of the Peters Colony who arrived in this area in 1843. McGarrah founded a trading post near this site, and soon the Fort Buckner settlement was established. It would later become the first county seat of Collin County. David William O'Brien (1808-1885) came to Collin County with his family in 1857. He eventually acquired the part of the McGarrah land which included this site. The Buckner Cemetery, which was established on the O'Brien land, has also been referred to as O'Brien Cemetery over the years. Although there may be earlier unmarked graves, the oldest documented burial is that of Franklin O'Brien (1851-1870). Many early pioneers of Collin County are interred here, including victims of a smallpox epidemic in the 1870s. According to local tradition, a Kiowa Indian named Spotted Tail also lies here in an unmarked grave. The only physical remnant of the Buckner community, this cemetery serves as a reminder of the early history of Collin County. (1988) (Historic Texas Cemetery marker added 2001)