Historic Cemetery

Patterson Cemetery

Texas
Location: In a pasture at Etoile between Hwy 226 and Sam Rayburn; south from Etoile to CR 479 (just before Blue Springs Cemetery). CR 479 west 1 mile to locked gate and private property. Go through gate and follow grass road immediately to the right, following back south a total of .4 miles to cemetery at end in hay pasture.This cemetery is maintained but in a remote location. The site has been fenced and cleaned recently. One stone is broken with a piece missing and another stone has been repaired with epoxy. The other graves are in good shape and not damaged. The property owner has cleared the area and put gravel down over the site to stop undergrowth. Pasture grass is beginning to grow through the gravel.

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.