Historic Cemetery

Briar Branch Cemetery

a.k.a. Huff Massacre Cemetery

Alvord, Texas 76225
Location: 3 miles E of Alvord. Briar Branch Cemetery is a couple of miles out to the east of Alvord. Start out of Alvord to the northeast on Fm Rd 1655 and turn right in town just past the railroad tracks. This is Pine Street but it becomes Old Decatur Road. Follow it a couple of miles and as the road swings to the east you will see the cemetery off in the pasture on the right. There's a pipe gate on the road with a sign that says Marcon Operating Co. - Clyde Smith Lease.

Source: Roper, Homer L, Wise County Cemeteries Vol 4; Parsons, Kim, Ref. to Texas Cemeteries, 1988; Wise County Historical Commission; Gregg, Rosalie, History of Wise County: A Link With the Past, 1987; Tombstone Transcription Project; Rootsweb-Wise County C

To address the problem of cemetery destruction and to record as many cemeteries as possible, the Texas Historical Commission offers the Historic Texas Cemetery designation.

The Historic Texas Cemetery designation was developed in 1998 to help protect historic cemeteries by recording cemetery boundaries in county deed records to alert present and future owners of land adjacent to the cemetery of its existence. Every county in Texas has at least one cemetery designated as a Historic Texas Cemetery through this program. The HTC designation is the first step toward preservation of a historic cemetery.

A cemetery is eligible for designation if it is at least 50 years old and is deemed worthy of recognition for its historical associations. The very nature of a cemetery being a landmark of a family’s or community’s presence is considered to validate the criteria of historical associations. Any individual, organization, or agency may submit a request for designation.

gravesites