Historic Cemetery

Swanson Cemetery

a.k.a. Swanson-Bridges Cemetery, Col. Swanson’s Slave Cemetery. Bridges Cemetery, Deanwright-Swanson Hill Community Cemetery

Palestine, Texas 75801
Location: Off Hwy 84 near Texas State Railroad Park. Off SH 84 about 3 mi. E of Palestine, on Park Road 70. Go to first silver gate on right just passed Texas State Railroad park entrance. Go .2 miles on top of hill on right, go in gate.
Graves: 60-70 (19th through 20th centuries)
Size: 1.6345 acres

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