Cedar Hill Cemetery
Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Established in 1847 as the city cemetery, Cedar Hill Cemetery is located at the south edge of Rusk in Cherokee County, atop a hill surrounded by a dense forest. Some of Rusk’s oldest and most prominent residents have stone monuments in Cedar Hill such as the Bonner, Long, Miller, Perkins and Smith families. The cemetery is also the burial site for early pioneers. Prior to 1917, B.F. and Lucy Vining, land owners in Cherokee County, created the west and south additions to the cemetery property. In 1929, Vining heirs sold the rest of their land to the rusk cemetery association. The “old section” or north side of the cemetery is filled with massive cedar trees, hence the name Cedar Hill Cemetery. Many war veterans are buried at Cedar Hill, including at least 26 Confederate soldiers, two Spanish-American war veterans, 17 WWI veterans, 29 WWII veterans, and both Korean and Vietnam War veterans. The cemetery has a variety of markers made of different materials and architectural designs. This includes markers made of metal, stone-like tree trunks, ornate obelisks, and a brick crypt. A notable family that is buried in Cedar Hill is the Cobble family. They are illustrative of common pioneer families who traveled through early Texas during westward expansion. Thomas H. Cobble moved to Texas in 1844 and built the first brick business building in Rusk. His grandson, Dr. Thomas H. Cobble, became a notable Rusk doctor and chief of staff of Rusk Memorial Hospital in 1949. The pioneer family burials in Cedar Hill Cemetery are significant reminders of the early settlement of Texas and the West.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Established in 1847 as Rusk's city cemetery, Cedar Hill sits atop a forested hill named for the massive cedars shading its oldest, northern section. It holds the graves of the town's prominent founding families alongside those of early pioneers, including the Cobbles—typical of families who traveled through early Texas during westward expansion—whose descendant Dr. Thomas H. Cobble led Rusk Memorial Hospital in 1949. War veterans from the Confederacy through the Spanish-American War, both world wars, and Korea and Vietnam lie beneath markers ranging from ornate obelisks to stone tree-trunks and a brick crypt.
Why it matters
Cedar Hill is a layered record of one East Texas town's settlement and service, its pioneer and veteran graves preserving the memory of the families who built Cherokee County across a century of American history.
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Related people
- · Thomas H. Cobble
- · Dr. Thomas H. Cobble
Themes & tags
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