Old Sandy Creek Cemetery
Mexia, Limestone County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Following Emancipation in 1865, many former Limestone County slaves established their own homes. Those settling in this area included Sawney Henry and Davey Medlock, founders of Sandy M.E. Church and Sandy community. This site served as the early burial ground for the agricultural settlement, also known as Oak Grove. By 1900, the Sandy Creek Graveyard, Church and School Land Association maintained the site. Most of the graves here are those of former slaves, with the last known burial made in 1943. By that time, residents had established a newer burial ground. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After Emancipation in 1865, formerly enslaved people across Limestone County built independent lives and communities, and those who settled here—among them Sawney Henry and Davey Medlock—founded the Sandy M.E. Church and the Sandy, or Oak Grove, community. This ground became their burial place, tended by the 1900s through a church, school, and graveyard association. Most who rest here were once enslaved, with the last known burial in 1943.
Why it matters
The cemetery preserves the story of a Freedmen's community that turned emancipation into self-determination—building churches, schools, and lasting institutions of its own.
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Related people
- · Sawney Henry
- · Davey Medlock
Related events
- · Emancipation
Themes & tags
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