Zybach Cemetery
Briscoe, Wheeler County, Texas
Marker Inscription
THE ZYBACH CEMETERY WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1918, WEST OF ZYBACH METHODIST CHURCH. THE FIRST BURIAL, OF GARRETT HELTON, DATES BACK TO 1918, WHILE A UNIQUE BURIAL IS THAT OF WILEY MCCRAY, NAMED “WORLD’S GREATEST RODEO CLOWN” IN 1950 AND 1960. THE CEMETERY’S SIZE HAS CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES. THE “OLD ADDITION” WAS ONE ACRE, PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY CLEMANS HELTON. THE “NEW ADDITION” BELONGED TO THE CHURCH BUT WAS ADDED WITH THE REMOVAL OF THE CHURCH. IN 1975, HAROLD PETERMAN BOUGHT AN ACRE TO THE SOUTH AND DONATED IT, BECOMING THE “PETERMAN ADDITION.” LASTLY, LUCILE TIPPS AND HER CHILDREN DONATED LAND TO THE WEST, ADDING THE “TIPPS ADDITION.” THE CEMETERY IS STILL IN USE TODAY.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Established in 1918 beside the Zybach Methodist Church, this Panhandle cemetery has grown through a patchwork of donated additions and remains in use today. Among those buried here is Wiley McCray, twice honored as the world's greatest rodeo clown.
Why it matters
It preserves the communal memory of a small ranching community, right down to a legend of the rodeo arena.
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Related people
- · Garrett Helton
- · Wiley McCray
- · Harold Peterman
Themes & tags
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