HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Peoria Cemetery

Peoria, Hill County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Established in 1830s as this community developed. First plot was donated by J. R. DeArman; 4 generations of the William Thomas Hill family made later grants. A child fatally bitten by a rattlesnake was first to be buried here. Many rural residents and transients lie in unmarked graves.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Peoria Cemetery was established in the 1830s as this small Texas community formed, its first plot donated by J. R. DeArman and later grants made across four generations of the William Thomas Hill family. Tradition holds that a child fatally bitten by a rattlesnake was the first laid to rest here, joined over the years by many rural residents and travelers in unmarked graves.

Why it matters

The graveyard preserves the memory of a frontier settlement and the ordinary pioneers, many now nameless, who lived and died on the early Texas prairie.

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Related people

  • ยท J. R. DeArman
  • ยท William Thomas Hill

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionFrontier HistoryLandmark

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