Historic Cemetery

John May Cemetery

a.k.a. Hooper-May Cemetery

Center, Texas
Location: North from Cemetery on FM 699, until you cross the Flat Fork bridge. Look for the first county road 3685 on the east (right). Turn right onto 3685 and drive 1.4 miles. It will tee into CR 3853. Again turn right onto 3853. Drive .7 mile and turn right (south) on 3865. Continue for .4 mile. At the fork of CR 3685 and a private road, leave the county road by going straight onto private property for .4 mile. You will stop at a locked gate. The cemetery is .5 mile beyond the locked gate.
Graves: 75 (1840-1930)
Size: 101 ft x 168 ft

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