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Referred to historically as Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown Negro Cemetery, Colored Cemetery, Georgetown Citizens Cemetery, and Masonic Cemetery, Citizens Memorial Garden Cemetery is a historic burial ground in Georgetown. Due to the common racial segregation of public spaces and resources, the cemetery was set aside for African American and Hispanic residents, paupers and any others who wished to be buried here. The site was then west of the city limits on the Liberty Hill Road. In 1906, Mayor R.E. Ward appointed Zenie Henley, George Davis, Henry Smith, Anthony Price and Esau Beard as the first trustees. Some of the individuals buried here were formerly enslaved and lived to experience post-Civil War Emancipation and Reconstruction. Hundreds of individuals have been laid to rest here. Issues such as headstone degradation and unmarked graves make it difficult to complete a full assessment of the exact number of burials.
African Americans have historically been a significant portion of Williamson County’s demographics, representing 10 percent of the county’s population in 1850 and 19 percent of the population in 1860. Although Citizens Memorial Garden Cemetery is most often recognized as an African American cemetery, dozens of Hispanics are also interred here. Formerly, a barbed wire fence separated the African American and Hispanic sections of the cemetery. Records indicate that the City of Georgetown conveyed the cemetery to the African American community in 1906 for grounds maintenance. A local masonic lodge maintained the cemetery for many years until 1980, when the Citizens Memorial Association assumed responsibility for its care.
Historic Texas Cemetery – 2023
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