Old St. Mary's Cemetery
Bayside, Refugio County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Joseph F. Smith, Nephew of Texas' provisional governor Henry Smith, founded the town of St. Mary's in 1857. Ten acres were set aside for this burial ground, in which the earliest marked grave is dated 1860. The cemetery served the thriving community until an 1886 storm destroyed business and homes, causing residents to move away. In 1909, with the return of land development to the area, the cemetery was again used. The burial site of war veterans and pioneer area settlers, the cemetery serves as a reminder of the important early coastal town of St. Mary's. (1983)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Founded in 1857 by Joseph F. Smith, nephew of Texas' provisional governor, the town of St. Mary's was a thriving coastal community on the Gulf until an 1886 storm wrecked its homes and businesses and scattered its people. This ten-acre burial ground, with graves dating to 1860, holds pioneer settlers and war veterans and outlasted the town it once served, seeing renewed use after land development returned in 1909.
Why it matters
The cemetery is the enduring memory of a vanished Gulf Coast port, a reminder of how storms and shifting commerce shaped—and unmade—early Texas coastal towns.
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Related people
- · Joseph F. Smith
- · Henry Smith
Themes & tags
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