Chinquapin Cemetery (Loggins Family Burial Ground)

Among the earliest settlers in the Chinquapin area were Martin and Susanna Loggins who emigrated along with their children from Tennessee in March of 1839. Shortly after their arrival their daughter Minnie, age 18, died in May of 1839, and their son Cade was killed in June of the same year. Over the following years other Loggins family members were buried in the same plot, and so began the "Loggins Family Burial Ground."

By 1850 the small farming settlement of Chinquapin had grown to include a log church and small general store. In 1854 the first recorded school began classes with 53 students in attendance. William D. Loggins, grandson of Martin and Susanna, donated the land for much of the growing community.

In 1917 the site of the burial ground along with five acres of land were donated to the San Augustine school system and a new two-story school building was constructed next to the cemetery. The Chinquapin school remained on the site until 1957 when students and teachers were moved to other schools within the San Augustine Independent School District.

On August 6, 1962, the original five acres were transferred back to the Loggins family; the land remained in the possession of various family members until 1977 when the burial grounds were transferred to a volunteer cemetery board of trustees. The cemetery was expanded to more than six acres and was renamed the Chinquapin Cemetery.

The cemetery continues to be run by the volunteer board of trustees. It contains more than 200 monuments and gravestones, including 35 military markers and 12 Republic of Texas markers. (2000).