Magnolia Cemetery
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On these grounds in 1884, Henrietta Steiner buried family members John P.W. and Arthur Steiner. A few days later, several members of the First German Methodist Church Of Houston established Magnolia Cemetery for the exclusive use of church members. The Magnolia Cemetery Company applied in 1892 for an amended charter, extending membership privileges to others. Trustees deeded a portion of unused cemetery land to the City of Houston in 1929 to provide right-of-way for Buffalo Drive, now Allen Parkway. In the early 1970s, the group sold another unused part of the land to neighboring American General Insurance Company. This land was later converted to park space that, with the Gus S. Wortham mausoleum, helps create a contemplative environment for visitors and area citizens. In 1984, Magnolia Cemetery became a perpetual care facility, operating as a nonprofit corporation. Among the more than 3,800 persons interred here are veterans of most U.S. wars, including the Civil War. Many descendants of those buried here are active in preserving their families' resting place. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Magnolia Cemetery began in 1884 when Henrietta Steiner buried her kin here, and within days members of Houston's First German Methodist Church established it as a burial ground for their congregation. Over the following century it opened to the wider public, ceded land for Allen Parkway, and evolved into a landscaped resting place shaded by the Wortham mausoleum. More than 3,800 people lie here, including veterans of most American wars from the Civil War onward.
Why it matters
Founded by a German immigrant church, the cemetery reflects how ethnic congregations built enduring institutions that knit newcomers into the fabric of a growing American city.
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Related people
- · Henrietta Steiner
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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