Historic Cemetery

Brooke Cemetery

Oakwood, Texas 75855
Location: Out of Teague on Fm 179 through Dew. Take FM 489 at the crossroads in Dew. Follow FM 489 through Lanely until you see Brown Chapel Church on the left. Go left and travel approximately 1 mile and you will see a small, hand-painted white sign on the right.

Source: Freestone County Sheriff’s office by J. R. Sessions, Jr., Sheriff; Morrow, Betty Moss, THC Library; Freestone County Historical Commission; 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.

gravesites