HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Brushy Cemetery

Bowie, Montague County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Settlement of this area began in the 1870s. By 1880 a school, church, and cemetery were established. Located on land deeded by W.W. and Mary A. Wilcox, this cemetery and the nearby church serve as reminders of the once thriving community of Brushy. The earliest documented grave in the cemetery is that of W.C. Hatfield (1846-1877). Also interred here, in marked and unmarked graves, are veterans of the Civil War, children, and pioneer settlers. Descendants of early citizens still reside in the area, and a cemetery association formed in 1973 maintains the graveyard. (1990)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Settlers arrived in the 1870s, and by 1880 the community of Brushy had its school, church, and this cemetery on land deeded by the Wilcox family. The earliest documented grave dates to 1877, and among those resting here are Civil War veterans, pioneer families, and children in both marked and unmarked plots. Though the town faded, descendants still live nearby and tend the graveyard through an association formed in 1973.

Why it matters

The cemetery is the enduring memory of a once-thriving pioneer community that time and change eventually erased from the map.

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Related people

  • · W.W. Wilcox
  • · Mary A. Wilcox

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionGhost TownsLandmark

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