Hidalgo City Cemetery
Hidalgo, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This historic graveyard dates from 1884, with its oldest grave marker being that of Elder B. Barton (1815-1884). The cemetery was included in the 46.4 acre Pate’s Addition to the Town of Hidalgo, developed in 1926 by Joe Pate. His wife, Kate, donated another 1.28 acres for cemetery use in 1963. Numerous veterans are buried here, with service from the Texas Revolution to modern conflicts. Grave markers vary from homemade cast concrete blocks and wooden, wrought iron, and PVC pipe crosses to manufactured monuments. Several large bovedas (above-ground crypts), slab-covered graves and curbing attest to predominant Mexican influences. There are currently more than 1,000 graves. The Hidalgo Parks and Streets Department maintains the cemetery. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2008
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This graveyard on the lower Rio Grande dates from 1884, when its oldest surviving stone was raised. Expanded over the decades as the town of Hidalgo grew, it holds more than a thousand graves and veterans whose service ranges from the Texas Revolution to modern conflicts. Its handmade concrete blocks, wooden and wrought-iron crosses, and above-ground bovedas reflect the strong Mexican traditions of the border community.
Why it matters
A border cemetery like this preserves the layered heritage of the Rio Grande, where Mexican culture and generations of American military service rest side by side.
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Related people
- · Joe Pate
- · Kate Pate
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Elder B. Barton
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Born in New York City in 1806, Elder B. Barton threw in his lot with the Texas cause and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the decisive clash that secured the Republic of Texas's independence. Settling along the lower Rio Grande, he married Santitos Balli of Matamoros, raised sixteen children, and parlayed his veteran land grants and a supply business into a lasting mark on Hidalgo County's frontier economy. He died on his ranch in 1884, a bridge between the Anglo republic and the older Mexican society of the borderlands.
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