Midway Cemetery
Livingston, Polk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Andrew A. (1816-1898) and Mary Barnes (1817-1857) McKee came to Texas in 1845 and purchased land here in 1854. Mary, who died in childbirth, was the first person buried here. According to local tradition, just prior to her death Mary marked this site for family burials with her footprint on a gopher mound. By 1865 the cemetery served the Midway community and the surrounding area. Buried here are pioneer settlers and their descendants, former slaves, and veterans of conflicts from the Civil War to the Vietnam War. The cemetery is maintained by an association. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Andrew and Mary McKee came to Texas in 1845 and bought this land in 1854; when Mary died in childbirth in 1857 she became the first person laid to rest here, at a spot she is said to have marked herself. By the close of the Civil War the burial ground served the whole Midway community. Its graves hold pioneer settlers and their descendants, former slaves, and veterans of American wars from the Civil War to Vietnam.
Why it matters
A single country cemetery gathers the full sweep of a Texas community's history—frontier settlement, slavery and emancipation, and generations of military service—in one hallowed ground.
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Related people
- · Andrew A. McKee
- · Mary Barnes McKee
Themes & tags
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