Three Oaks (Goerlitz) Cemetery
McDade, Bastrop County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The earliest marked graves on this site were those of infant Peter Goerlitz and two-year-old Emma Goerlitz. The property was primarily a family cemetery until 1893, when Peter Kellermier deeded one acre for burial purposes. The cemetery was long associated with the Catholic church located on its north side, and was known as the Catholic Cemetery. The church declined in the early 1930s; the site became known as the Goerlitz Cemetery because of the number of family members interred there. In 1975 the name was changed to Three Oaks to better represent all those interred here. There are thought to be unmarked graves and lost headstones. Veterans of World War I and World War II also are interred here. Three Oaks Cemetery continues to serve the surrounding area. (1999)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This burial ground began as a family plot—marked first by the graves of two young Goerlitz children—before Peter Kellermier deeded an acre for wider community use in 1893. Long tied to a neighboring Catholic church, it was known as the Catholic Cemetery until the congregation faded in the 1930s. Renamed Three Oaks in 1975 to honor all who rest here, including veterans of both World Wars, it still serves the McDade community.
Why it matters
Rural cemeteries like this map the arc of a settlement's families, faith, and losses, preserving the memory of ordinary Texans across more than a century.
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Related people
- · Peter Goerlitz
- · Emma Goerlitz
- · Peter Kellermier
Themes & tags
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