Location: Mesa Community between Keith and Iola off FM 244. Take FM 244 south out of Iola; turn left after about 5 miles on Grimes County Road 162. When road ends turn right and follow road to cemetery on left. It has a large brick entry sign. Cemetery was surveyed by John Maxwell. Information was provided by Billy and Bessie Dee Mitchell, Claude and Oma Worsham, and Mrs. Edward Woods.
[N of Keith, E of Hwy 244 off CR 162 at the intersection with CR 128. Small dirt access road N of Church of Christ.]THC site visit MB 7/06/04 w/ J. Maxwell. Iola, TX area. Off FM 244 on CR 162 for 2.3 miles, R on CR 161 for 0.3 miles. Arched entryway on CR. Cem. and chapel approx 900 ft. W of the arched entryway at CR 128. Large fenced formal site. Considerable diversity of formal markers over time. Obelisks, curbing, unique markers, and some photo enamels. Some fieldstones. Cedar and Juniper marker trees, Oleander, Iris, Roses. US veterans, Masonic, WoW, and Eastern Star.Approx 1.18 acre.
Low risk, fenced, maintained, associated church, still in use, on map, sign.
Graves: Approx. 250 burials, some unmarked or with field stones, earliest marked about 1890s.
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.