Old Dublin Memorial Park Cemetery
Dublin, Erath County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The earliest use of this burial ground was in 1864 at the death of Ellen, daughter of J. H. Keith. William ("Big Bill") Keith donated this memorial to his Aunt Ellen with the understanding that it would be used for free public interments. It was called "The Old Dublin Cemetery" until 1961 when an endowment was created and the name was changed. There are about 1400 graves including 292 without names that are noted only with filed stones or funeral home markers. This graveyard is still in use. (1978)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This burial ground began in 1864 with the death of Ellen, daughter of J. H. Keith, and was donated by William "Big Bill" Keith in his aunt's memory with the condition that it serve for free public burials. Known simply as the Old Dublin Cemetery until an endowment renamed it in 1961, it holds roughly 1,400 graves. Nearly 300 of them are unnamed, marked only by field stones or funeral-home plates.
Why it matters
A cemetery founded on the promise of free burial for all is a small monument to frontier neighborliness, its many unnamed graves a reminder of how thin the historical record often was for ordinary settlers.
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Related people
- · William "Big Bill" Keith
- · J. H. Keith
- · Ellen Keith
Themes & tags
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