Mount Calvary Cemetery
Refugio, Refugio County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Initiated by the burial of 16 soldiers massacred during the Texas revolution of 1836. The bones of Capt. Amon King and his men--scattered on the Prairie--were buried by Refugio citizens. Later forgotten, the site was rediscovered in 1934. Grave of J. Hampton Kuykendall (1820?-1882), revolutionary soldier, journalist, congressman, and scholar, lies near north fence. Also interred here are Irish settlers of the 1830s Powerheweson colony. Among them is Empresario James Power, who also signed Texas declaration of Independence.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This cemetery began in grief: the burial of soldiers massacred during the Texas Revolution of 1836, among them the men of Capt. Amon King, whose bones lay scattered on the prairie until Refugio citizens gathered them. The site was later forgotten and rediscovered in 1934. Irish colonists of the Power and Hewetson grants rest here too, including empresario James Power, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Why it matters
The ground ties together the sacrifice of the revolution and the Irish immigrant colony that settled this coast, two threads of the Texas founding story in one burial place.
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Related people
- · Amon King
- · James Power
- · J. Hampton Kuykendall
Themes & tags
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