Colored Graveyard in the Old Town of Hearne
Hearne, Robertson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This cemetery, now represented by a single grave, was a burial site for African Americans residents of the area. According to folklore, it originated as a farm or slave cemetery. The earliest known burial here dated in 1879, and residents used the graveyard until 1912. In 1947, developers purchased this property; descendants of the interred were forced to move and rebury relatives. However, the children of Hollie Tatnell (d. 1911), a former slave, refused to reinter their mother, forcing developers to build around her grave. Today, this single grave serves as a reminder of the area’s early African-American community and of the sanctity of burial grounds. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2007
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Now marked by a single surviving grave, this was a burial ground for African American residents of old Hearne, remembered in folklore as a farm or slave cemetery with its earliest known burial in 1879. When developers bought the land in 1947, descendants were forced to disinter and rebury their relatives—except the children of Hollie Tatnell, a formerly enslaved woman, who refused to move their mother's grave and compelled the builders to work around it.
Why it matters
Hollie Tatnell's undisturbed grave is a powerful witness to African American perseverance and the enduring struggle to defend the sanctity of Black burial grounds.
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Related people
- · Hollie Tatnell
Themes & tags
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