Historic Cemetery

Big Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Cemetery

Texas
Location: From SH 77 on the Bluff, take FM 155 southeast 2 miles to a paved road on the right that leads to Cozy Corner. Three quarters of a mile southeast of Cozy Corner on a gravel road is another gravel road on the right leading toward the west and on to the Big Bethlehem A.M.E. Church. To the left of the church, toward the rear of the building, there are two large fenced in graves. A trail leading between these 2 plots toward the southwest, goes down the bank of a small branch, across a bridge made of 3 three foot sewer pipes, and up the opposite bank to a grove of 6 cedar trees arranged in a rough square. West of the cedar trees is a group of Spanish Dagger cactus and about 20 yards further west, toward the west corner of the tract, are the white graves.
Graves: 2-30 graves in one portions with unknown unmarked graves in other section

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