Grand Bluff Cemetery
Carthage, Panola County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This cemetery originally served the pioneers who settled in the nearby community of Grand Bluff (.5 mi. W), an early ferry crossing on the Sabine River. The earliest known burials, dated 1838, are for Mary Frances Hoyle and Mrs. Robert Wyatt. Land for the cemetery was donated by David Vawter, an early ferry operator. The settlement of Grand Bluff began to decline in the 1880s, when railroads made the ferry crossing obsolete. The cemetery was last used in 1906 for the burial of Dr. David M. Vawter, son of the site's donor. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This cemetery served the vanished community of Grand Bluff, an early ferry crossing on the Sabine River where the land for the graveyard was given by ferry operator David Vawter. The oldest known burials date to 1838, in the days of the Republic of Texas. When the railroads arrived in the 1880s, they made the river ferry obsolete and the settlement faded; the last burial, in 1906, was the donor's own son.
Why it matters
The rise and fall of Grand Bluff shows how the coming of the railroad could unmake a river town, leaving only its cemetery behind.
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Related people
- · David Vawter
- · David M. Vawter
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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