Historic Cemetery

Payne Cemetery

Chester, Texas
Location: Driving Directions:From US 287 in Chester, go 4.6 miles east on FM 1746. Turn left at private road that is entrance to Enon Hunting Club. Follow the road north 0.9 mile. Turn left and go 2.0 miles to gate. From this point, the cemetery is located approx. 0.2 mile northeast of gate.The cemetery is not a map feature and is located in a very remote area on private property. In order to visit the cemetery, one must have guide and special transportation. The cemetery is not fenced and is surrounded by land that is occasionally logged. The Willson-Sulphur Springs Cemetery is located approx. 0.2 mile northeast of Payne Cemetery. The cemetery has several unmarked graves, grave depressions, and folk gravestones. One burial is marked by a marble grave slab, which is broken. The cemetery is not maintained, and is rarely visited.

Source: RIP Fields Table

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