Salem Cemetery
Irene, Hill County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first interment here was in 1870, but that grave was later moved. Oldest graves now are those of twin infants E. and P. J. Sheet, who died Feb. 9, 1871, and Synthia Green, who died August 9, 1871. R. M. and W. J. Graham and F. M. Reed gave the land to the Methodist Episcopal Church South in 1876 as a site for a church, school, and cemetery. One of the 826 graves here is that of Nathaniel Addison (1811-1900), a veteran of the Texas Revolution. The Salem Cemetery Association, organized in 1904, is still active, but the church was closed in 1913, and the school consolidated with Irene in 1917.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Burials at this Hill County site began in 1871, with the oldest surviving graves those of the infant Sheet twins and Synthia Green. In 1876 landowners deeded the ground to the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, for a church, school, and cemetery, and the still-active Salem Cemetery Association formed in 1904. Among the more than 800 people buried here is Nathaniel Addison, a veteran of the Texas Revolution.
Why it matters
Like many rural Texas graveyards, Salem Cemetery outlived the church and school it once served, standing as the enduring record of the pioneer families who built the community.
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Related people
- · Nathaniel Addison
- · R. M. Graham
- · W. J. Graham
- · F. M. Reed
Themes & tags
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