Location: Damascus Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery - Recorded: POLK02—Parsons; Polk Co Tx Cem/website: “Location: At the intersection of FM 1987 and Highway 59, north of Corrigan, Texas, turn right on FM 1987 and go 5 miles to the Cemetery which will be on the right side. This cemetery was established in 1863 adjacent to the Damascus Missionary Baptist Church. In 1967 the Texas Historical Commission put a State Marker in front of the building, earliest about 1865.” R. Peebles: “about 12 miles N of Corrigan on FR 1987. Many graves. Index, earliest 1863.” THC site visit MB 1-27-05: Corrigan, Tx area. US 59 to FM 1987 for 3.7 miles to church and site. THC marker for church and community. Large fenced site adjacent to large Damascus Missionary Baptist Chuch and related buildings and playground. Adjacent to woodland area. Formal markers with considerable diversity including obelisks, curbing and gravel, metal markers, and several large ironstone walled graves, plots and arched dome vaults. Marker trees and shrubs, Cedar, Gardenia, small Live Oaks. Photo enamels, embellishments of stone. Abundant floral, religious and decorative grave materials. US veterans, WoW, CSA. Damascus Missionary Baptist Church CemeteryApprox 3.6 acres. GPS 31.04.52.25504N –94.45.52.95469W USGS 3194-221Low risk endangerment, adjacent associated church, fenced, cem assoc. maintained, still in use, visitation, on map, on road. .
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.