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San Augustine City Cemetery

San Augustine, San Augustine County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This burial ground originated as the private cemetery of the J. C. Anderson family, whose residence stood on a nearby lot. The oldest of the 500 to 700 graves date from the 1830s. Prominent citizens buried here include Col. Stephen William Blount (1808-1890), signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence; Dr. George L. Crocket (1861-1936), Episcopal clergyman and historian; and B. F. Benton (1827-1862), Confederate captain killed in the Civil War. Bought by the city in 1911, the cemetery is maintained by an association formed in 1921. (1977)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

This East Texas burial ground began as the private cemetery of the J. C. Anderson family, its oldest graves dating to the 1830s, when Texas was still winning its independence. Among those interred here is Col. Stephen William Blount, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, alongside a Confederate captain killed in the Civil War and a noted Episcopal clergyman-historian. The city bought the cemetery in 1911, and an association has cared for it since 1921.

Why it matters

Its graves gather the founders of a Texas town across two defining conflicts — the Revolution that made Texas a republic and the Civil War that divided it — into a single ground of civic memory.

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Related people

  • · Col. Stephen William Blount
  • · Dr. George L. Crocket
  • · B. F. Benton

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionCivil WarFrontier HistoryMemorial

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