Historic Cemetery

Savannah Cemetery

a.k.a. Whatley Family Cemetery

330 Bonaventure Rd, Thunderbolt, Texas 31404
Location: 1.7 miles south of the marion/Cass county line on SH 43, then west .8 mile on Lewis Chapel Rd. to the access road. Cemetery is .2 miles north of Lewis Chapel Rd. on a private access road.
Graves: 129 (late 19th century to present)
Size: 1.1 acre

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.