Catholic Cemetery
Liberty, Liberty County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1853, twenty-two years after Francisco Madero founded the Villa de la Santissima Trinidad de la Libertad, now the town of Liberty, the Rev. Petrus Marie LaCour came to this area. A native of France, he served as the first pastor of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Acting on behalf of the Galveston Diocese, he purchased this site in 1853 from Pickney L. and Therese A. Palmer as a burial ground for Catholic settlers of the county. A few gravesites were located here when the land was designated a Catholic cemetery. Many of the early graves are those of pioneer French Creole settlers, members of related families that migrated to the region from Louisiana in the mid-nineteenth century. Early residents interred here include LaCours, Gillards, Baillios, DeBlancs, Desrayouxs, Dugats, Fortiers, Benoits, Cannons, Joffrions and Rachals. Their influence as early business, civic and professional leaders had a dramatic impact on Liberty and on the area's social and religious customs. Descendants of the pioneers still serve as active members of the community. The oldest Catholic cemetery in Liberty County, this site now serves as a historic reminder of the region's rich heritage.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1853, Father Petrus Marie LaCour — a native of France and the first pastor of Liberty's Immaculate Conception parish — bought this ground as a burial place for the county's Catholic settlers. Many of the earliest graves belong to French Creole families who had migrated from Louisiana, names like LaCour, Baillio, DeBlanc, and Fortier that would shape Liberty's business, civic, and religious life. It remains the oldest Catholic cemetery in Liberty County.
Why it matters
The cemetery preserves the Franco-Louisiana Creole heritage that flowed into Texas, a reminder that the region's roots reach into the wider Gulf-Caribbean Catholic world.
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Related people
- · Rev. Petrus Marie LaCour
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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