St. Mary's Cemetery
Westphalia, Falls County, Texas
Marker Inscription
St. Mary's Cemetery was founded in 1883 by German families who had recently settled in the area and named their community "Westphalia," after their German home province. Casper Hoelscher, Frank Wunsch, Theodore Rabroker, J.G. Bockholt and Frank Glass each contributed to the purchase of 100 acres, which were then donated for the establishment of a community school, church, Priest's residence and cemetery. The oldest grave in the cemetery is the 1884 burial of five-year-old Heinrich Bernard Lenz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fritz Lenz. As with many of the early grave markers in the cemetery, Lenz's is inscribed in German. The oldest graves in the cemetery are located in the northern section of the site. A large metal cross i the north section of the cemetery marks the grave of Theodore Rabroker, Westphalia's first settler, and one of the donors of the cemetery property. Veterans of the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War are interred at the site. A cemetery association was formed prior to 1922, and early association members were required to pay dues for cemetery upkeep. Although the practice has been discontinued, the cemetery remains open for the burial of parishioners of the Church of the Visitation. Today, the Association Board consists of four church parishioners and the presiding priest. As the primary resting palce for the earliest settlers of Westphalia, St. Mary's Cemetery remains today as a symbol of these early pioneers. Historic Texas Cemtery - 2008
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
German families who named their new home "Westphalia" after their old province founded St. Mary's Cemetery in 1883, pooling money to buy 100 acres for a school, church, and burial ground. The oldest grave is that of five-year-old Heinrich Bernard Lenz, and many early stones are inscribed in German, a testament to a community that carried its language and faith across the Atlantic. Veterans of every American war from the Civil War through the Persian Gulf rest here, and the cemetery still serves the Church of the Visitation's parishioners.
Why it matters
It is a living record of German Catholic immigration to Central Texas and how transplanted communities rebuilt their traditions on the American prairie.
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Related people
- · Casper Hoelscher
- · Theodore Rabroker
- · Heinrich Bernard Lenz
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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