Historic Cemetery

East Hamilton Cemetery

Shelbyville, Texas 75973
Location: http://www.shelbycountytexashistory.net/Shelby/Shelby8.htm : Take Highway 87 South from the Center square through Shelbyville to Patroon which is 18.7 miles. Turn left onto F. M. Road 2261, go 6.2 miles and turn left onto Forest Service Road 126. Go 1.1 miles and turn right onto Forest Service Road 106 go .3 miles and turn left on Forest Service Road 159. The cemetery is about .2 miles at the dead end.

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.