Evergreen Cemetery
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Evergreen Cemetery Association organized in 1894 and purchased 25 acres at this site to establish a cemetery. The first recorded burial was that of the infant Nellie Storkes on October 4, 1894. Charles Hooper replaced first sexton Joseph Grenedig in 1898 and served until 1924. He was succeeded by his son, James, during whose tenure (1924-1936) of the original 25 acres were sold. Hooper family members cared for all or part of the cemetery until 1984. Three distinctive ethnic burial arrangements exist here. Southern folk burial sites are often subdivided by families and enclosed by a fence with an arched gate. German families are buried together and their grave stones decorated by fine craftsmanship. Rows of evergreens and crepe myrtles often separate the German sections. Hispanic grave sites tend to be individually situated and decorated with floral arrangements. Among those buried in the cemetery are veterans of conflicts ranging from the Civil War to World War II, city and county officials, and local labor group and fraternal organizational members including the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and Woodmen of the World. The cemetery is maintained by an association comprised of descendants of people buried here.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Evergreen Cemetery Association organized in 1894 and laid out 25 acres in Houston, opening with the burial of infant Nellie Storkes that October. Generations of the Hooper family tended the grounds into the 1980s, watching over a burial place that reflects three distinct traditions—fenced Southern folk family plots, finely carved German sections screened by evergreens, and individually adorned Hispanic graves. Among those resting here are veterans from the Civil War through World War II and members of fraternal orders like the Masons and Odd Fellows.
Why it matters
Evergreen is a landscape of Houston's diversity, where the burial customs of Southern, German, and Hispanic communities sit side by side and the graves of many wars' veterans record a city's shared sacrifice.
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Themes & tags
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