Location: Copeland Cemetery Polk Co Tx Cem/website: no descript. “Near Drew’s Landing.” R. Peebles: “4.5 miles E of Goodrich, Hwy 59, on FR 2665.” L. Moore: “From Hwy 59 E, go 4.4 miles on FM 2665, on right in woods—0.25 miles Goodrich.” Copeland Cemetery: Submitted by Cannon Pritchard, August 2003. The Harper Copeland Family came from Lowndes County, Miss. in 1852 to the town of Smithfield in Polk County. Mr. Copeland was a blacksmith by trade and later moved near the present day Goodrich, Texas where he purchased 200 acres in the A. Viesca 7 League. He served as Justice of the Peace 1854-1864, and 1866-1868. He was also a County Commissioner from 1868-1872. The family cemetery was located on his property and was in use from 1880-1915. After the property was divided up by his grandchildren the cemetery was not maintained and markers exist on very few graves today. Location: At the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and FM 2665 near Goodrich, Texas, go east on FM 2665 for 4.4 miles. The cemetery is on the right .25 miles in the woods. Copeland CemeteryTHC site visit MB 7-27-05 w/ R.D. Hendrix: W of SH 146 to FM 2665 about 4.1 miles, at bend in road. Small wire gap gate. Area is just W of Holiday Lake Estates. Site is approx 1,000 ft. down dim lane through wooded area, appears to be an old road. Fenced site at edge of small hillside, partially damaged. Overgrown with freegrowth and vines, scattered visible formal markers, mostly fallen, obscured by accumulation of leaves. ,Some unmarked grave depressions. GPS PENDING3094-322High risk endangerment, fenced, but no maintenance, markers not visible, fallen, broken, unmarked grave depressions.
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.