Mud Creek Cemetery
Bangs, Brown County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Named for nearby Mud Creek, this graveyard has served residents of the Thrifty and Fry communities for more than 100 years. The first person known to be buried at the site was infant Martha Blackwell, who died in 1864. However, a rock slab that bears an illegible name indicates the cemetery was used as early as 1862. Others buried in Mud Creek Cemetery include pioneer settler Charles Mullins (1790-1880) who brought his family to the area in 1858, victims of Indian attacks, and persons involved in the 1926-27 area oil boom. (1983)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This hilltop graveyard has served the Thrifty and Fry communities of Brown County for well over a century, its oldest legible burial dating to 1864 and a weathered rock slab hinting at use as early as 1862. Among those laid to rest are pioneer settler Charles Mullins, who brought his family west in 1858, people killed in frontier Indian attacks, and workers caught up in the oil boom of 1926–27. The stones read like a timeline of the West Texas frontier, from first settlement through the derricks of the petroleum age.
Why it matters
A single rural cemetery can hold the whole arc of frontier history—settlement, conflict, and the industrial boom that finally transformed the plains.
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Related people
- · Charles Mullins
- · Martha Blackwell
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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