Historic Cemetery

Lankford Cemetery

Belton, Texas 76513
Location: south from Belton on I-35. Exit at Amity Road exit and continue .7 miles south on frontage road to vacant house on west side on Odell Geer property (50 yards north of Dillard Road). Follow gravel road on north side of vacant house .2 miles to cemetery in cattle pasture. Cemetery is next to windmill in oak grove.Cemetery is not fenced and cattle have broken most of the stones. It is unknown how many unmarked graves are at the site, but the area of the cemetery appears to be at least 1 acre.

Source: RIP Fields Table

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