Phair Cemetery
Freeport vicinity, Brazoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On land granted Stephen F. Austin by Mexico. Site given by E. B. and Mollie Thomas, devout Methodists. Since first grave, 1853, many early Texans have been buried here. Church was built by Wm. Hoskins. Community named for Rev. George Phair, pastor here 1875-1876 and 1882-1885. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This burial ground sits on land originally granted to empresario Stephen F. Austin by Mexico, in one of the earliest Anglo colonies in Texas. Devout Methodists E.B. and Mollie Thomas gave the site, where the first grave was dug in 1853 and many early Texans came to rest. A church built by William Hoskins served the settlement, which took its name from the Rev. George Phair, its pastor across two stints in the 1870s and 1880s.
Why it matters
Rooted in Austin's colony, the cemetery links a modest rural community directly to the founding generation of Anglo-American settlement in Mexican Texas.
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Related people
- · George Phair
- · William Hoskins
- · Stephen F. Austin
Themes & tags
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