Chalk Mountain Cemetery
Chalk Mountain, Somervell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The village of Chalk Mountain originated as a trading center before the Civil War. The earliest burial at Chalk Mountain Cemetery, the only burial ground to have served this community, is that of Abigal Davis (d. 1874), but the presence of unmarked burials indicates possible earlier use. Confederate veteran Hiram Berry Rogers (1840-1929) deeded the cemetery to the county in 1915. Over 350 graves, including those of Rogers and veterans of the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean War, are interred here. It has been maintained by a cemetery association since 1959. (1991)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Chalk Mountain began as a trading center before the Civil War, and its cemetery — the community's only burial ground — holds a marked grave dating to 1874, with unmarked plots hinting at earlier use. Confederate veteran Hiram Berry Rogers deeded the ground to the county in 1915, and more than 350 people rest here, among them veterans of the Civil War, both World Wars, and Korea. A cemetery association has cared for the site since 1959.
Why it matters
A single small-town cemetery can hold the whole arc of American military service, from Confederate soldiers to Cold War veterans, gathered in one rural community's memory.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Hiram Berry Rogers
- · Abigail Davis
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Duffau Cemetery
Clairette vicinity, TX
Duffau grew from the late-1850s arrival of settlers like Francis T. Duffau, taking its name and gaining a post office by 1860; it became a busy trade center before fires and a railroad bypass sent it into decline. Nearby mineral wells drew health-seekers to a small resort, and churches, a school, and a cemetery anchored community life for over a century. The graveyard's oldest recorded burial dates to 1865, and among its 950-plus graves lie veterans of the Civil War, both World Wars, and the Korean War.
Rock Church Cemetery
Tolar, TX
The Rock Church community took root in the 1850s with pioneer families like the Caraways—Jesse Caraway had been a Tennessee neighbor of Davy Crockett—who let settlers raise a two-story cut-stone building on his land and later deeded ground for a church, school, Masonic lodge, and cemetery. The first burial came in 1873, and roughly 700 graves now fill the ground, including many veterans from the Civil War through a decorated Vietnam soldier. Fraternal-order headstones and yearly reunions still draw descendants back.
William Berry Smith
Iredell, TX
William Berry Smith came to Texas from North Carolina in 1834, served as a soldier in the Texas War for Independence, and went on to fight as a veteran of the frontier Indian wars. He lived to the age of 84, dying in 1876, and was honored with this state marker in 1957.
Indian Creek Cemetery
Selden, TX
This Erath County burial ground grew from land deeded by the Venable family for a shared cemetery, church, and school, with later gifts adding acreage. Its oldest marked grave dates to 1871, though earlier burials may lie unrecorded, and the interred include veterans reaching back to the Civil War. Adorned with interior fencing, curbing, and statuary, it endures under the care of a corporation formed in 1959 as a memorial to the pioneers who settled along Indian Creek.