Historic Cemetery

McKenzie Cemetery

a.k.a. Windy Mesa Ranch, Coon Drops

Bakersfield, Texas
Location: I-10/ Hwy 385 E 24.3 miles east of Fort Stockton to McKenzie Road (exit 285). Exit and follow .2 miles to service road. Right on service road 1.6 miles to Private Road 5838 (gravel). Go right (south) 3.1 miles to gravel road leading to McKenzie (Windy Mesa) Ranch, just before crossing cattle guard. Follow 1.1 miles to old Bruce McKenzie Ranch and cemetery on north side of the road.This site is well-maintained by the owners of the property. Two graves;Bruce Thomason McKenzie1928-1998Richard Harrison DalzellViet Nam, Korea1929-1997.

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