Historical Marker
Criswell Cemetery
Historical marker location:
Otto, Texas
( CR 159. From Otto, 3.8 mi southeast on FM 1240, 2.1 mi northeast on CR 159 to T intersection, 1.2 mi northwest on CR 159 to cemetery.)
Marker installed: 2001
Bearing the name of the community it once served, this site is part of ten acres deeded by Marcus Thomas Durham in 1886 for a school, church and cemetery. By that time it was already an established burial ground; the two oldest marked graves, both dating to 1873, are those of C. M. Criswell and Durham's father, Thomas Durham (1811-1873). In 1950 an association was formed that purchased the nearby school and church building and organized an annual homecoming to create a fund for maintaining the structure and the cemetery. The Criswell Cemetery remains a record of the history of this area of Falls County. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2001.