Black Cemetery
Albany, Shackelford County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This pioneer burial ground contains more than a dozen graves of African Americans. The land was part of the Veals addition to the town of Fort Griffin. Milton Sutton bought the property at public auction in April 1882. Two visible markers are for Elijah Earls (d. 1880), who the Fort Griffin Echo reported as a “tonsorial artist,” or barber, and Marriah McKay Williams (1781-1891), who came to Fort Davis (Stephens co.) Before the Civil War as a free black. The Echo also reported the June 1880 burial of James Lowe in this cemetery. Most of the other burials are unknown. When Fort Griffin disbanded, many African Americans stayed nearby and homesteaded. Here, their lives as ranchers, farmers, cowboys and domestics are remembered.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This pioneer burial ground near old Fort Griffin holds more than a dozen graves of African Americans who lived and worked on the West Texas frontier. Two surviving markers name Elijah Earls, a barber the Fort Griffin Echo called a "tonsorial artist," and Marriah McKay Williams (1781–1891), who came to Texas as a free Black woman before the Civil War. When the fort disbanded, many African Americans stayed to homestead, ranch, and farm the surrounding land.
Why it matters
The cemetery preserves the often-overlooked presence of African Americans—free and freed—on the West Texas frontier, remembering their lives as ranchers, cowboys, and homesteaders.
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Related people
- · Elijah Earls
- · Marriah McKay Williams
- · Milton Sutton
Themes & tags
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