Historic Cemetery

Santa Maria Cemetery

Santa Elena, Texas 78591
Location: Driving Directions:From FM 2294/FM 755 junction, go 3.7 miles north on FM 755. Turn right at Librado Garza Rd. and go 1.7 miles east (will go through three locked gates). Cemetery is located on east side of road where road turns north. The cemetery is well maintained, active, and fully fenced. It is a map feature. It is not accessible to the public, and in order to visit the cemetery, one must go through three locked gates and travel approx. 1.7 miles on a private ranch 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.

gravesites