Pony Creek Cemetery
Stephenville, Erath County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(also known as Box/Pony Creek Cemetery) This cemetery is the final resting place for generations of local families, including descendants of pioneer settlers in the Pony Creek Community who came here as early as 1845. The oldest marked grave is that of J.T. Roberson (d. 1875), and another early grave is for Martha Walker Bills, born in 1799. It is believed that pioneers began building homes here circa 1845, although frontier conditions, including raiding Indian parties, remained difficult until after the Civil War. Following the war, new settlers arrived in the area. The community thrived from the late 1800s until the mid-1900s. In 1907, John and Mary Britton officially deeded land for the cemetery, which is also the final resting place of numerous veterans. Throughout its history, the community's cemetery has associated with the Pony Creek Baptist Church, established in 1865. The church building, located west of the burial ground, is used for funerals and meetings. The Pony Creek Community has always been agricultural, and the names of area farm families are preserved throughout the cemetery, maintained today by an association. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2000
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Pioneers began building homes in the Pony Creek Community around 1845, though frontier conditions — including raids by Native war parties — kept life precarious until after the Civil War. The cemetery's oldest marked grave belongs to J.T. Roberson (d. 1875), and another early stone remembers Martha Walker Bills, born in 1799. John and Mary Britton formally deeded the land in 1907, and the burial ground, long tied to the Pony Creek Baptist Church founded in 1865, still preserves the names of the agricultural families who worked this land.
Why it matters
The cemetery marks one of Erath County's earliest frontier settlements, a place where pioneer farming families endured the dangers of the open Texas frontier before the community flourished.
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Related people
- · J.T. Roberson
- · Martha Walker Bills
- · John Britton
- · Mary Britton
Themes & tags
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