Historic Cemetery

Philpott Cemetery

Teague, Texas 75860
Location: Very difficult to locate; it is located on FM 489 (Freestone to Dew Road), 1.3 miles from the Salem Missionary Baptist Church and Cemetery. From Teague; take Hwy 80 to Freestone. Go left on FM 489 and if you reach Salem Missionary Baptist Church you have gone too far. There will be two houses on the left 1.3 miles before reaching Salem Baptist. The cemetery is 2 city blocks from the road. Go through the gate to the right of the house and follow a cattle drive. The cemetery is on the left in a clump of trees. It is fenced in barbed wire and cyclone fence.

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

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