Mt. Homer Baptist Church Cemetery
Milano, Milam County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This site was originally known as Watson Cemetery and used for burials of Watson and Williams family members. It transferred to trustees of Mt. Homer Baptist Church in 1866. A church building that also served as a schoolhouse was located on the northeast side of the property. The diaries of Robert Thomas Williams and other records indicate the southeastern part of the site was used for burials by local African American residents. The earliest marked grave, dated 1863, is that of Williams' brother Zachary, fatally wounded during the Civil War at Chancellorsville, Virginia. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Originally the Watson family burial ground, this site passed to the trustees of Mt. Homer Baptist Church in 1866, its church building doubling as a schoolhouse. Its earliest marked grave, dated 1863, belongs to Zachary Williams, mortally wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia, and family diaries record that local African American residents were buried in the southeastern section. Designated a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2004, it preserves the intertwined histories of white and Black Milam County families.
Why it matters
The cemetery links a Central Texas community directly to the Civil War's battlefields and to the often-unmarked graves of its African American residents.
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Related people
- · Robert Thomas Williams
- · Zachary Williams
Related events
- · Battle of Chancellorsville
Themes & tags
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