Clapp Cemetery
Walker County, Walker County, Texas
Marker Inscription
According to local tradition this cemetery was established by deed in 1853 to prevent people of mixed Native American and pioneer American heritage from being buried in other area cemeteries. The first person known to be buried here was Martha Johnston Andrews in 1860. The cemetery is closely associated with the nearby Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. Among the more than 500 burials are many early area settlers (mostly of Scots-Irish ancestry), and veterans of wars ranging from the Civil War to the Vietnam Conflict. Historic Clapp Cemetery continues to serve the local community.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Local tradition holds that this cemetery was established by deed in 1853 specifically so that people of mixed Native American and pioneer heritage—turned away from other burial grounds—would have a place of rest. The first known burial was Martha Johnston Andrews in 1860, and the cemetery grew alongside the nearby Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. Among its more than 500 graves lie early settlers of Scots-Irish ancestry and veterans of every war from the Civil War to Vietnam.
Why it matters
Clapp Cemetery is a quiet witness to the racial exclusions of frontier Texas and to the community that answered them by making a dignified place for the excluded.
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Related people
- · Martha Johnston Andrews
Themes & tags
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