Cedar Grove Community
Burkeville, Newton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Following the Civil War, a group of freedmen established the Cedar Grove community, coming here to take advantage of the area's strong cotton market. The community was named for the cedars that once existed here before they were cut for lumber. A focal point for the residents was the Cedar Grove Community Church, which members of the Spears Chapel Church helped organize. A school, which first met in the church building, and several businesses also existed. Although Cedar Grove declined due to the discontinuation of river transportation in the 1880s and disease and floods in the early 20th century, the church and a cemetery serve as reminders of the former community. (2008)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After the Civil War, a group of freedmen founded the Cedar Grove community here to take advantage of the area's strong cotton market, naming it for the cedars they cut for lumber. At its heart stood the Cedar Grove Community Church, organized with help from the Spears Chapel congregation, which also housed the community's first school. River-transport losses in the 1880s, followed by disease and floods, drove the settlement's decline, leaving the church and cemetery as its enduring markers.
Why it matters
Cedar Grove reflects the determination of newly freed people to build independent, self-governing communities in the Reconstruction South.
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Related events
- · Founding of the Cedar Grove freedmen's community
Themes & tags
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