Mobeetie Cemetery
Mobeetie, Wheeler County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Mobeetie Cemetery is the first known established cemetery in the Texas Panhandle. It was born of necessity, established as a final resting place for those whose journey ended in Mobeetie, which evolved from an 1875 hunter's camp and nearby army post. Over the course of time, some of the grave markers have been destroyed by both tornadoes and natural decay. The oldest gravestone remaining is dated May 2, 1882. Other burials include outlaws, accused horse thieves, those killed by an 1898 cyclone, ladies of the evening and the infant daughter of Temple Lea Houston. In addition, it is also the final resting place for the famed Texas Ranger, Captain G.W. Arrington. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2011
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Said to be the first established cemetery in the Texas Panhandle, Mobeetie Cemetery was born of necessity beside a town that grew from an 1875 buffalo hunters' camp and army post. Tornadoes and time have erased many markers, but the oldest surviving stone dates to 1882. Among its graves lie outlaws, accused horse thieves, victims of an 1898 cyclone, and the famed Texas Ranger Captain G. W. Arrington.
Why it matters
The cemetery is a roll call of the rough frontier society—soldiers, hunters, lawmen, and outlaws—that first pushed settlement into the Texas Panhandle.
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Related people
- · G. W. Arrington
- · Temple Lea Houston
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Old Wheeler County Jail, 1886
Mobeetie, TX
Built in 1886 at Mobeetie, this was the first jail in the Texas Panhandle, a stone fortress that served as the central holding place for the region's outlaws. It cost $18,500—including $1,200 for a state-required hangman's device—and was raised from stone quarried on the farm of Emanuel Dubbs, the county's first judge. It was named a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1965.
Temple Lea Houston
Mobeetie, TX
A son of Texas hero Sam Houston, Temple Lea Houston became a brilliant courtroom attorney and served this Panhandle county in the state senate in the 1880s. Known for his eloquence, he delivered the dedicatory address for the new Texas Capitol in 1888. He practiced in the old courthouse near this spot and made his home nearby with his wife and three sons.
Fort Elliott Flagpole
Mobeetie, TX
When Fort Elliott was established in 1875 to secure the Texas Panhandle, teamster-merchant J. J. Long was hired to supply its flagpole. He cut two great cedar trees in the breaks near Antelope Hills, thirty miles away, hauled them by wagon, and fashioned this fifty-foot pole. After the fort closed in 1890 Long bought the pole for his store, and it later stood at the Mobeetie school for two decades before being raised again here in 1949.
Frank Willis, Sr.
Mobeetie, TX
Indiana-born Frank Willis, Sr. came to Texas seeking opportunity and became the first judge of the 35th District, which then covered the entire Panhandle. From 1881 to 1890 his honesty, sharp wit, and sizable frame made him a local legend, and both his sons followed him onto the bench. He helped bring the rule of law to a vast, thinly settled frontier region.