Harwood Cemetery
Harwood, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The town of Harwood was founded in 1875 as a stop on the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad. Land was designated for a cemetery when town lots were platted. The oldest marked grave is that of I. M. Shelton, a Civil War veteran who died April 14, 1877. According to local tradition, Shelton was struck by lightning as the worked on the railroad. Other veterans interred here are from the Texas Revolution, the Civil War, Spanish-American war, World War I, World War II, and Korea. A cemetery association was formed in 1957 to maintain the site. Texas sesquicentennial 1836-1986.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Harwood sprang up in 1875 as a stop on the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad, and land for this cemetery was set aside when the town lots were first platted. Its oldest marked grave belongs to Civil War veteran I. M. Shelton, who — local tradition holds — was struck by lightning while working on the railroad in 1877. Among the graves lie veterans of nearly every American conflict from the Texas Revolution through the Korean War.
Why it matters
A single small-town cemetery can hold the whole sweep of a community's service, from the Texas Revolution to Korea, gathered around the railroad that made the town possible.
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Related people
- · I. M. Shelton
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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