Historic Cemetery

Tyer Cemetery

a.k.a. Old Tyer, Owen, Owens

Grapeland, Texas
Location: Driving Directions:From SH 19/US 287 in Grapeland, go 3.0 miles east on FM 227. Turn right at Tyer cemetery sign and go approx. 405 ft. south on private driveway to gate. The cemetery is approx. 280 ft. southwest of gate on hilltop. There is a cemetery sign posted on FM 227. The cemetery is a map feature (Note: on USGS topographic maps the cemetery is called Owens). It is fully fenced and maintained, and a cemetery sign is posted on FM 227. Cemetery features include homemade concrete markers and formal marble markers. The cemetery also has a very large cedar tree. Note: the Tyer Cemetery access road also leads to the John Denson Cemetery, which is approx. 0.9 mile south of FM 227, on the south bank of Bennett Creek.

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