Old Winnsboro Cemetery
Winnsboro, Wood County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of oldest cemeteries in East Texas. First burial (date unknown) was an accident victim. The earliest gravestone belongs to Andrew Vannoy (1812-58), co-owner with Dr. Joseph McGee of one of first sawmills in area. Buried here also are members of the Cook family who were donors of Winnsboro townsite and probably gave land for this cemetery. The many important persons interred here include industrial leaders, three pioneer ministers, eight early-day doctors, a patriot who fought under Gen. George Custer, veterans of Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II. (1971)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Among the oldest burial grounds in East Texas, this cemetery holds the graves of early sawmill owners, pioneer ministers, and country doctors who built up the Winnsboro area from the mid-19th century onward. Its dead include veterans of the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and both World Wars, marking generations of local service.
Why it matters
A single hillside cemetery can preserve the layered history of a frontier town — its industry, its faith, and the wars its sons went off to fight.
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Related people
- · Andrew Vannoy
- · Joseph McGee
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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The Hopewell Primitive Baptist congregation began in 1855, worshiping under a brush arbor and in a log house before growing into a proper church. In 1876 John R. Moore gave three acres for a church and cemetery, and burials began there in 1879. Alongside a state representative, veterans of several wars rest in its grounds, and the church has served the community for well over a century.
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