Echols Cemetery on Jennings Mountain
Brownsboro, Henderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located on the C.B. Jennings survey and atop Jennings Mountain, the four-acre Echols Cemetery was established as a local burial ground for settlers in Brownsboro. Richard O. Echols (1851-1905) and Margaret Ann (Williams) Echols (1859-1939) settled here in 1877 and farmed the land. Echols was a large property owner and civic-minded. He served his community as a school trustee and credit lender. Children Ira Armister Echols (1897-1977), a Henderson County Commissioner (1935-1942), Joe Lee Echols (1892-1943), Callie Eastes (1890-1979) and four infants are buried at Echols Cemetery with their parents. After Richard’s death in 1905, Margaret went on to establish a bank in Brownsboro, focusing on agricultural financing, and became a successful businesswoman. On March 8, 1926, she officially deeded the 37-acre cemetery to the community as a burial ground. The first burial in the cemetery was that of Agnes Merit Hall Hopson (1813-1870), wife of William Hopson. Other burials include John Chambers Barton (1850-1919), the oldest son of Jeremiah Barton, an 1850s settler, along with the burials of John’s first wife, Catherine C. Echols (1850-1876), and their infant (1876). John’s brother, Ruben Cook Barton (1857-1899), and many other Barton descendants rest on the mountain, including lifelong resident, Isaac Anderson Barton (1860-1951), who was a mason, farmer, ginner, and the first mayor of Brownsboro. Many veterans are buried here. An association formed in 1958 to care for this historic cemetery. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2016
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Atop Jennings Mountain near Brownsboro, this cemetery began as a settlers' burial ground after Richard and Margaret Echols arrived in 1877 to farm. Richard served as a school trustee and credit lender, and after his death in 1905 Margaret founded a Brownsboro bank focused on agricultural lending, becoming a successful businesswoman before deeding the grounds to the community in 1926. Among those resting here is Isaac Anderson Barton, a mason, ginner, and Brownsboro's first mayor.
Why it matters
The site preserves the pioneers who built Brownsboro—including a widow who turned to banking and thrived in a field then almost entirely closed to women.
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Related people
- · Margaret Ann Williams Echols
- · Richard O. Echols
- · Isaac Anderson Barton
Themes & tags
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