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Early RepublicReconstruction & Gilded Age

Friendship Cemetery

Leon County, Leon County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This 9.7-acre cemetery is part of a 350 acre land patent granted to Joseph Henson in 1850. The year that he first set it aside for burials is not known as many of the earlier graves are marked only by red sandstone rocks without dates. The earliest dated markers is the 1870 gravestone of Josa Hood (1808-1870). Vandals, wildlife and livestock have taken their toll on this burial ground, but descendants and relatives of the citizens laid to rest here continue to make improvements and care for this site that remains a chronicle of the pioneers and families that settled and developed this corner of Leon County.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

This burial ground sits within a 350-acre land grant given to Joseph Henson in 1850, in the first years of Texas statehood. Many of the earliest graves are marked only by unlettered red sandstone rocks, and the oldest dated stone belongs to Josa Hood, who died in 1870. Despite decades of wear from weather, animals, and vandalism, descendants continue to tend the site.

Why it matters

Friendship Cemetery is a physical chronicle of the pioneer families who first broke ground and built community in this corner of Leon County.

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Related people

  • · Joseph Henson
  • · Josa Hood

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionMemorial

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