Details for Colored Graveyard in the Old Town of Hearne

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5507014329

Data

Marker Number 14329
Atlas Number 5507014329
Marker Title Colored Graveyard in the Old Town of Hearne
Index Entry Colored Graveyard in the Old Town of Hearne
Address Wheelock St.
City Hearne
County Robertson
UTM Zone 14
UTM Easting 730113
UTM Northing 3417817
Subject Codes cemetery; African American topics; land development
Marker Year 2008
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark No
Marker Location Wheelock Street, in the middle of the street between Willow and Cypress streets
Private Property No
Marker Condition In Situ
Marker Size 18" x 28"
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

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