Millville Cemetery
Henderson, Rusk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the 1840s, Jesse Walling, veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, set aside four acres for a church, school, Masonic lodge and cemetery for Liberty Hill community, later renamed Millville. Of nearly 400 graves, many unmarked, Ann Rushing's (d. 1851) is the earliest marked. Her grave and five others are denoted by carved fieldstone covers, which, along with other early stone features, give the burial ground a unique appearance. Descendants of those buried here formed an association, which holds the annual Millville picnic, a tradition dating to at least 1885. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the 1840s Jesse Walling, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, set aside four acres for a church, school, Masonic lodge, and cemetery to serve the Liberty Hill community, later renamed Millville. Of the nearly 400 graves—many unmarked—Ann Rushing's, dated 1851, is the earliest marked, and several are covered with distinctive carved fieldstone slabs that give the ground a singular look. Descendants still gather for the annual Millville picnic, a tradition reaching back to at least 1885.
Why it matters
Founded by a San Jacinto veteran, Millville Cemetery ties the birth of the Texas Republic to a community's unbroken century-and-a-half of remembrance.
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Related people
- · Jesse Walling
- · Ann Rushing
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
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