McAlpine Cemetery
White Hall, Grimes County, Texas
Marker Inscription
About 1851 North Carolina native Dugald McAlpine (1795-1876) moved here to the pioneer community of Wallace's Prairie and purchased a large tract of land. Adjacent to his property and at this location were four burial sites associated with his neighbor's nearby "Alta Vista" (Spanish for Fair View) farm and farmhouse. McAlpine eventually bought Alta Vista and in 1866 his relative, Malcomb McAlpine, was the first of many McAlpines to be buried here. In 1873 the community's name was changed to Whitehall for George White, the postmaster at that time. Before his burial here in 1876, McAlpine fenced an area around the grave sites for use as a family graveyard. In 1886 descendants of McAlpine deeded three acres containing the graveyard for cemetery purposes. Eventually community burials began outside of the fenced McAlpine section on land donated by a Mr. Johnson. Descendants of people buried here organized and formed the Fairview Cemetery Association in 1949; the name of the association was later changed to the Whitehall-Fairview Cemetery Association. Burials here include former slaves, McAlpine family members, area civic leaders, and veterans of wars ranging from the Civil War to the Vietnam Conflict.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Around 1851 North Carolina native Dugald McAlpine settled the pioneer community of Wallace's Prairie and bought a large tract that included several early burial sites. His relative Malcomb was interred here in 1866, and McAlpine fenced the grounds as a family graveyard before his own death in 1876; descendants deeded three acres for cemetery use in 1886. Those buried here span former slaves, McAlpine kin, civic leaders, and veterans of wars from the Civil War through Vietnam.
Why it matters
The cemetery gathers into one ground the intertwined lives of pioneer settlers, enslaved people, and generations of soldiers across a century of Texas history.
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Related people
- · Dugald McAlpine
- · Malcomb McAlpine
Themes & tags
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