Historic Cemetery

St. Pauls (Black) Cemetery

Nacogdoches, Texas
Location: In Nacogdoches, take Woden Road east to E. J. Campbell. NE .2 miles to East Terrace Apartment Complex entrance. Veer left at guard shack on gravel pull in. Cemetery begins in woods on north side at dirt path. This site is at least one acre in size.This site is overgrown and the true bounds are unknown. This is an black cemetery that is no longer active and was at one time associated with a St. Paul's Church. It is not clear if the church was at this site or at another location. There are grave depressions and metal funeral markers scattered throughout the woods. The site is located in a large stand of 50+ year old pine trees. There were only 4 legible markers at the time of visit. Only one of the metal funeral markers could be read. It appears that there were fenced family plots at one time (fence posts remain with chicken wire), but no stones are visible.Legible markers at site:Monroe Coleman (Mason)Sept. 5, 1881-May 27, 1945'A Loving Father'Catherine ReedSept. 10, 1894-June 16, 1949Rayfield Hutchison (veteran)Oct. 16, 1932 Pvt. 165 Depot Brig.Emma Rhodes Carroll (metal funeral marker)D. Aug. 18, 1950.

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.