Dry Creek Cemetery
Terrell, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for a nearby ravine, this burial ground originally served the community of Turner's Point. Located on the stage road between Shreveport, Louisiana, and Dallas, the settlement was established by Elisha Turner in 1845. In the 1870s the town was moved to a new location (1.5 miles southeast) and renamed Poetry. The earliest marked grave at this site is that of Samuel Key (1840-1871). Now closed for burials, the cemetery has 279 marked graves bearing names of the English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh pioneer settlers of the area.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This burial ground first served Turner's Point, a settlement founded by Elisha Turner in 1845 on the stage road running between Shreveport, Louisiana, and Dallas. When the town relocated a mile and a half southeast in the 1870s and took the name Poetry, the cemetery remained behind. Its 279 marked graves—the earliest that of Samuel Key, who died in 1871—carry the English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh names of the area's pioneer settlers.
Why it matters
The cemetery preserves the memory of a stage-road community and the British Isles immigrants who settled the North Texas frontier.
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Related people
- · Elisha Turner
- · Samuel Key
Themes & tags
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