Allen Cemetery
Allen, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located on land purchased from Mr. and Mrs. John W. Whisenant, this cemetery was formally established on April 5, 1884, by the International Order of Odd Fellows, local Lodge No. 249. Encompassing almost three acres of land, the cemetery has served the Allen community for over a century. The oldest legible grave marker here is that of Rebecca L. Hamilton (d.1883), although local oral tradition holds that earlier graves may exist, including a slave burial ground in the southeast corner of the property. Tombstone inscriptions reveal evidence of early epidemics and include the names of a number of veterans of foreign wars. Robert J. Cuffman (d.1918) was killed in the Meuse-Argonne offensive in World War I. Mahlon Brackney served in the Spanish-American War. Also represented on grave markers here are notable early citizens of the community, including Permelia Ford, a pioneer settler, and Doctors H.N. Compton and William F. Wolford. The Allen Cemetery Association, organized in 1899, cares for the historic graveyard and sponsors an annual Decoration Day. (1988)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Formally established by the Odd Fellows in 1884, Allen Cemetery has gathered a community's memory across three acres for well over a century. Its stones record early epidemics, pioneer settlers and physicians, and veterans of foreign wars — among them a soldier killed in the Meuse-Argonne offensive of World War I and another who served in the Spanish-American War — while oral tradition places an older slave burial ground in one corner. A cemetery association organized in 1899 still tends the grounds and keeps an annual Decoration Day.
Why it matters
A community cemetery is a durable archive, holding in one place the epidemics, wars, and forgotten burials — including those of the enslaved — that formal histories often leave out.
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Related people
- · Robert J. Cuffman
- · Mahlon Brackney
- · Permelia Ford
Related events
- · Meuse-Argonne offensive
Themes & tags
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