Historic Cemetery

Esperanza Cemetery

Esperanza, Texas
Location: I-10 west from Sierra Blanca to FM 34. South to FM 192. FM 192 W to Esperanza Cut-Off in Esperanza. North on Esperanza Cut-Off at old Esperanza Store, bearing east .2 miles past houses and east across landing strip to fenced, vacant property. Cemetery located 100 yards east of fenceline and landing strip on small mesa.Property owner; Billy MacJobeThis site is on an elevated area that is subject to erosion. The SW section of the cemetery is threatened.Some of the stones have inscriptions in Spanish, but none were dated. Most of the graves have wooden markers, and many of these markers have fallen. This cemetery is placed incorrectly 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