Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
Lamar County, Lamar County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The trustees of the Mt. Pleasant Church purchased this property from the McGill Community School for one dollar in 1895. Many burials here pre-date that purchase but the earliest marked grave is that of 4-year-old Sammie Bryan who died in 1874. There are 449 marked graves within the cemetery's two acres. The history of the area is reflected on these stones, from the victims of a tornado in 1908 and the influenza epidemic of 1918 to the veterans of our nation's wars and several generations of families who contributed to the development of the farming community of Deport and its environs. Historic Texas Cemetery-2000
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Deeded to the Mt. Pleasant Church trustees for a single dollar in 1895, this two-acre burial ground already held graves — the earliest marked stone belongs to four-year-old Sammie Bryan, who died in 1874. Its 449 markers read like a ledger of the farming community of Deport: victims of a 1908 tornado, the dead of the 1918 influenza pandemic, veterans of the nation's wars, and generations of local families.
Why it matters
A country cemetery like this is a compact archive of rural American life, where a single hillside records the epidemics, disasters, and everyday endurance that shaped a farming community.
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Related events
- · 1918 influenza pandemic
Themes & tags
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