HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Old Salem Cemetery

Waller County, Waller County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This burial ground originally served the family of T.B. White. His wife Elizabeth (d. 1857) and her father Henry Kirby (d. 1854) are interred here. White sold ten adjoining acres to the Salem Association in 1853 as a site for construction of a masonic lodge hall and academy. The site became a public cemetery after that date. The earliest marked grave is that of Jane McCullen (1788-1851). Also buried here is Francis J. Cooke, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto. A cemetery association was established in 1949 to provide maintenance for the burial ground.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

This burial ground began as the family plot of T. B. White, whose wife Elizabeth and father-in-law Henry Kirby were laid to rest here in the 1850s. In 1853 White sold ten adjoining acres to the Salem Association for a Masonic lodge hall and academy, and the grounds soon became a public cemetery. Among those buried here are Jane McCullen, born in 1788, and Francis J. Cooke, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto.

Why it matters

It gathers in one quiet acre the settlers, educators, and Texas Revolution veterans who built early Anglo Texas.

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Related people

  • · T. B. White
  • · Francis J. Cooke
  • · Jane McCullen

Related events

  • · Battle of San Jacinto

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionEducationFrontier HistoryLandmark

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