Historic Cemetery

Davis King Cemetery

a.k.a. Day

Nacogdoches, Texas
Location: SH 21 East from Nacogdoches 6.9 miles to CR 407. South .1 mile to dirt road on west side (land has been cleared for new home). West .1 miles. North 60-80 yards to cemetery in brush. Cemetery is just east of Atascocita Ridge SubdivisionThis site is overgrown and there are many grave depressions throughout the woods. There are 3 bricked vaulted graves that are falling apart and have been disturbed by large juniper trees. There are 3 graves that are marked with fieldstone/slabs. The only graves with inscriptions are Arabella E. Day (formal marble marker) and Davis King (fenced 6X12' area with granite marker)Arabella E. DayMar. 1865Aged 19 yearsDavis KingBorn in N. C. ca. 1800. Died in Texas on Jan 1861Wife Mary Sartain buried in King Cemetery nearWoden, TX. Erected by their descendants 1993.The current owner bought the property from Floyd Skillern and has cleared a large area next to the cemetery for a home. The cemetery was surveyed before building but the true bounds are unknown.There may have been a home or church at the site at one time. There are many junipers at the site.

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.