Historic Cemetery

Crawford-Smith Rock Cairns Cemetery

a.k.a. Six Rock Cairnes

Texas
Location: From the Crawford-Smith Ranchhouse, one may drive roughly one-third of a mile to a point nearest the site in the bottom of Fresno Creek, whereby it is necessary to hike an additional 150 feet upslope some 35 feet about the creek floor to the terrace where the site may be found. A cemetery exists within the property legally described below; currently under ownership of Texas Parks and Wildlife. It is located on a primary floodplain terrace of Fresno Creek. GPS information will be on file with Texas Parks and Wildlife Archaeology Lab and the Big Bend Ranch State Park Archaeologist.
Graves: at least 6

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