Historic Cemetery

Rienzi Cemetery

Malone, Texas
Location: From Malone at the SH 171/FM 308 junction; west on SH 171 2.5 miles to HCR 3424 W. Left (SW) 1.3 miles to cemetery on south side. Walk south along edge of cultivated field 30 yards to cemetery in brush.Erosion and the cultivated field are encroaching heavily on this site to the north, south, and east. One of the graves is located on the edge of the field. Some of the graves may have been plowed. The site is overgrown and not visible from the road. It is unclear how many graves are at the site. Few of the graves are marked and the true boundary of the site is unclear. The site is unfenced and it has been used as a dump. This site is a feature on TxDot maps.

Source: RIP Fields Table

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