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On December 1, 1890, I.H. Pratt deeded one acre of land at this site to J.R. Harper. Born in 1838 in Hinds County, Mississippi, Harper came to Texas with his wife Delilah (Rice) (1836-1908), with whom he had six children. He died in 1896 and was the first to be buried here, at what was then known as Harper Cemetery. His wife was buried next to him 12 years later. Because of a fire at the Sabine County courthouse, the original deed is only referenced in a 1925 deed transfer to J.D. Fuller and E.H. Murphee. By that time, the Harper Chapel community, originally known as Lick Skillet, had further developed. Local Baptists completed construction on their wood-frame church house, Harper Chapel, in 1934. The community continued to utilize the burial ground here, acquiring additional acreage from donors over the years. The cemetery today is a link to the generations of area residents. Among those buried here are U.S. military veterans from conflicts beginning with World War I. The Harper Chapel Cemetery Association, comprised of descendants and friends of those buried here, maintains the site. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2004 |
