Moss Hill Community Cemetery
Woodville, Tyler County, Texas
Marker Inscription
To help recognize its African American heritage, Tyler County resident John Cruse donated two acres here in 1906 to the Moss Hill community for church and cemetery purposes. According to local tradition the cemetery was established in the early 1900s because of the rising number of deaths within the membership of Moss Hill's Baptist Church. Although evidence of several unmarked grave sites suggests prior burials, the first documented interment was that of Lane Siggers in 1907. Other early burials include those of Harriet Barlow in 1913, Ellis Gilder in 1916, Lottie Blackmon in 1917, Willie Blackmon in 1918, David Rigsby in 1922, J. C. McCartney in 1926, and Lizziebeth Cluff in 1926. The cemetery contains the grave sites of many of this area's most prominent civic and religious leaders. In the early 1980s a group of local citizens formed the Moss Hill Cemetery Committee to help maintain the cemetery grounds. The committee sponsored garage and bake sales and other projects which raised sufficient funds to purchase and install a fence. Members of the community established a tradition of meeting during the fall of each year for a cemetery homecoming and grounds maintenance.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1906, Tyler County resident John Cruse donated two acres to the Moss Hill community for a church and cemetery, and burials began as the local Baptist congregation grew. The first documented interment was Lane Siggers in 1907, followed by many of the area's leading civic and religious figures, though unmarked graves suggest still earlier burials. In the 1980s local citizens formed a committee that raised funds to fence and maintain the grounds and revived an annual homecoming tradition.
Why it matters
It preserves the heritage of an African American community and the enduring tradition of families gathering to tend and honor their dead.
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Related people
- · John Cruse
- · Lane Siggers
Themes & tags
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