HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

McGown Cemetery

Milam, Sabine County, Texas

Marker Inscription

The McGown Cemetery's earliest known burial, that of pioneer Anne Kyle (d. 1842) occurred five years after the formation of Sabine County. Seventeen years later, George Washington McGown (1799-1859), a Sabine County justice of the peace during the Republic of Texas era, became the second person and first of his family to be interred here. Civil War veterans buried here include McGown's son Andrew Henderson McGown (1824-1904), who served four terms as Sabine County sheriff, and neighbors William (1833-1918) and Perry (1841-1927) Browning, also members of a prominent pioneer family. The McGown Cemetery continues to serve the descendants of Sabine County pioneers. (1998)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

McGown Cemetery opened with the 1842 burial of pioneer Anne Kyle, just five years after Sabine County was organized. Its namesake, George Washington McGown, served as a justice of the peace during the Republic of Texas era and became the first of his family laid to rest here in 1859. Civil War veterans followed, among them his son Andrew, a four-term county sheriff, and members of the prominent Browning family.

Why it matters

The cemetery ties the founding officials of a Republic of Texas–era county to the generations of pioneer descendants they governed and are buried beside.

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Related people

  • · Anne Kyle
  • · George Washington McGown
  • · Andrew Henderson McGown
  • · William Browning
  • · Perry Browning

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionCivil WarFrontier HistoryLandmark

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