Historic Cemetery

Zepeda Cemetery

El Ranchito, Texas
Location: .25 miles NW of El Ranchito Community on south side of Military Hwy 281. .3 miles west of FM 1577. About 8.5 miles west of FM 3284 in El Ranchito; south side of SH 281.
Graves: 117 (1872 to present)
Size: .11 acre

Source: Cemetery Surveys by the Cameron County Historical Commission; Parsons, Kim, Ref. to Texas Cemeteries, 1988; TxDot map 1998; THC records; USGS

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.