Location: Texas City Memorial Cemetery, Texas City—GNIS on Texas City map. THC Atlas: “On April 16 and 17, 1947, disastrous explosions aboard two ships docked at the Texas City port killed hundreds of people. In the weeks that followed, relief workers led by the American Red Cross and other volunteers labored to identify the victims. Temporary morgues were set up in the Central High school gymnaSIUm and at Camp Wallace, a former Army post. Eventually, 444 people were confirmed dead, and an additional 143 were listed as missing. Sixty-three bodies were never identified. There was no public cemetery in Texas City in 1947. A burial committee appointed by local officials used donated funds to purchase this two-acre tract of land and made plans to bury the unidentified victims on Sunday, June 22. An interfaith and interracial funeral service was conducted before an estimated 5,000 mourners. Funeral homes from 28 towns provided individual caskets and hearses, and florists from throughout Texas donated flowers. The Texas City Memorial Cemetery is still reserved for the 63 people who, although unknown by name, are remembered each year at a memorial service on the 16th of April. --Texas AtlasDirections: 29th St. at 25th Ave N (Loop 197)” [Topo Zone map in file, W/SW of 29th St. N and 25th S N]. THC site visit MB 11/14/03, w/ Gallaway: Loop 127 at 29th St., Texas City. Large memorial park, several focal points of memorials, including abstract and figurative sculpture, arbor, walls, mounds, reflecting fountain, vistas. Area of mass burial now marked with large mound adjacent to fountain. Formal open entryway, parking area. Plaques explaining event and memorials. 0.84 acres. GPS 29.24.29.28573N –94.56.14.92067W.
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.