Hockley County Cemetery
Levelland, Hockley County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Texas Legislature created Hockley County in 1876 but the county did not formally organize until 1921; the small settlement of Hockley City (now Levelland) was named the county seat in that year. The arrival of the Santa Fe railroad in 1925 caused tremendous population growth in the county, from 137 in 1920 to 9,298 in 1930. The railroad also encouraged the expansion of agricultural activities in the county, which required additional laborers to work the land. The growing economy brought the migration of many people, including minorities, to the area in a time when segregation was widely practiced. Hockley County commissioners court set aside two acres of land in fall 1927 for the establishment of a segregated cemetery for the burial of indigent and minority residents; it was known as the Hockley County Cemetery or north side cemetery. County death records indicate that the first burial at the site was that of Jerry McHenry, an African American who was interred in April 1930. In 1975, the burial of Nora Robertson was the last one recorded at the site. The cemetery contains fourteen marked graves and over 100 unmarked burials. Veterans of both World Wars are buried here. Although the cemetery remains open for interment, it has seen little use since the 1960s, when the city of Levelland Cemetery was desegregated. Today, Hockley County Cemetery serves as a reminder of an important group of people who worked hard to build Hockley County. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2007
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the Santa Fe railroad reached Hockley County in 1925, the population exploded and drew many minority laborers to work the land in an era of strict segregation. In 1927 the county set aside two acres for a segregated cemetery for indigent and minority residents; the first recorded burial, in 1930, was of Jerry McHenry, an African American man. Little used after Levelland's cemetery was desegregated in the 1960s, it holds fourteen marked graves and over 100 unmarked burials.
Why it matters
It is a stark physical record of Jim Crow segregation reaching even into death, and of the Black and minority workers whose labor built Hockley County.
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Related people
- · Jerry McHenry
- · Nora Robertson
Themes & tags
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