Historical Marker
Willow Springs Cemetery
Historical marker location:
Athens, Texas
( 10 mi. S. of Athens of FM 59, rt. on CR 1200, travel .5 mi., turn rt. at first cattle guard & travel .2 mi.)
Marker installed: 2010
Likely named for a nearby spring, this cemetery has served Southern Henderson County since 1870, when John and Mary Hand conveyed land for use as a burial site. The property was also used for Willow Springs Church and a school. The earliest known burial here is of Amanda E. (Futch) Pace (d. 1873), wife of county commissioner, the Rev. Madison touchstone pace (d. 1925). Others interred here include community leaders, government officials, farmers, and veterans of conflicts dating to the Civil War. The burial ground features curbing, woodmen of the world monuments, and a number of unmarked graves. Today, Willow Springs Cemetery remains an important link to the pioneering families that lived in this area.