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This historic African American cemetery was established in 1922 when the Colored Burial Association purchased acreage from Charles Neblett. Many of the first burials were relocated graves from the segregated West End Cemetery, dating to 1856. The first burial at Mount Olive Cemetery was on May 5, 1922, for Wallace Howell. According to headstone inventories and death records, the cemetery contains more than 250 known African American graves with likely dozens more unmarked. The Colored Burial Association maintained the cemetery until 1972. The cemetery remains an active burial ground with a significant view into the African American heritage of Stephenville. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2012 |