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Civil WarReconstruction & Gilded Age

McCarty Cemetery

Angelina County, Angelina County, Texas

Marker Inscription

In 1860, Orange McCarty, Sr. (1813-1897) and his wife, Mary Arrington (1820-1881), purchased 2200 acres in the Antonio Solis survey that included this site. Their move here from Mississippi was delayed by the outbreak of the Civil War; two McCarty sons died in action fighting for the South. Join by the Arrington and McCall families, the remaining McCartys finally arrived here in 1866 and built a log cabin overlooking Jack Creek. This acre of land was set aside for a cemetery. The earliest marked grave indicates it was in use by 1873. The McCarty Cemetery Association maintains this resting place for these Angelina County Pioneers.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

In 1860 Orange McCarty and his wife Mary Arrington bought a large tract in Angelina County, but their planned move from Mississippi stalled when the Civil War erupted and two of their sons died fighting for the Confederacy. The surviving family, joined by the Arringtons and McCalls, finally settled here in 1866 and built a log cabin above Jack Creek, setting aside this acre for burials that were in use by 1873. It endures as the resting place of a founding Angelina County pioneer family.

Why it matters

The cemetery captures the arc of a Southern frontier family whose westward move was interrupted and reshaped by the Civil War, a story repeated across the post-war South.

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Related people

  • · Orange McCarty Sr.
  • · Mary Arrington McCarty

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionCivil WarFrontier HistoryMemorial

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