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This burial ground has served the Jewish residents in Corsicana since the late 1800s. The first Jewish settlers in the community came here in 1871, when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad extended it’s line from Houston to Corsicana en route to Dallas. The first Jewish settlers, many of whom traced their origins to Eastern Europe or Alsace Lorraine, were merchants who made use of the railroads. Soon, the Jewish population was well established in Corsicana and needed a cemetery. In 1881, the Hebrew Cemetery Association purchased this property for use as a burial ground. However, the land had been used for Jewish internments prior to this time; the earliest known burial dates to 1877. In 1887, the Ladies Hebrew Cemetery Association formed to raise funds for cemetery upkeep. In 1951, additional property was purchased. Cemetery features included obelisks, statuary and curbing. Noted individuals interred here include civic leader, businessman and 14 term president of the Temple Beth El, Sidney Marks; entrepreneur and philanthropist, Kalman Wolens; Civil War veteran Max London; an anonymous rope walker, who in 1884 fatally fell from a tightrope, leading to a search for his identity which gripped the community; and Ernest Joseph, who served as Rabbi for both the reform and orthodox congregations until his death in 1999. Today, there are over 400 individuals buried here. Corsicana Hebrew Cemetery remains a hallowed ground which chronicles the history of Corsicana’s Jewish residents, who since the 1800’s have played a vital role in the community’s civic, cultural and economic development. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2008 |
