Duffau Cemetery
Clairette vicinity, Erath County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Francis T. Duffau was among the early settlers who arrived in the late 1850s to farm in this community. The Duffau post office was authorized in 1860. Duffau became a thriving trade center but later declined after suffering several disastrous fires and being bypassed by the railroad. The nearby Duffau mineral wells became a health resort, attracting people to the area. A separate post office was in operation at Duffau Wells in 1884. H. B. and Eliza Hollis sold land to the Duffau School District in 1884; the Duffau School merged with Hico schools in 1960. Church of Christ, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches served the community for many years. The oldest recorded grave in the Duffau Cemetery is that of Nancy Shipman in 1865. Jacob and N. E. McCarty deeded five acres of land for cemetery purposes in 1874. Among the more than 950 marked graves are those of veterans of the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, as well as members of a number of fraternal organizations. The Duffau Cemetery Association was formed in 1958, and a trust fund was established in 1964 to help maintain the graveyard. The cemetery continues to serve Duffau and the surrounding communities. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
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.
Why it matters
The cemetery is a layered record of a Texas farming community's whole life span — settlement, boom, decline, and the many wars its sons served in — preserved in stone.
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Related people
- · Francis T. Duffau
- · Nancy Shipman
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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