Historic Cemetery

Cool Springs Cemetery

Canton, Texas
Location: West of Hwy 19 on east side of 1651. About 4 miles south of Canton. Hwy 19 branches off of Canton to the west about 4 miles south of Canton.
Graves: 600 (1883 to present)
Size: 186 ft x 300 ft x 390 ft x 108 ft x 144 ft

Source: Van Zandt County Texas Cemeteries Book 1-4; Parsons, Kim, Ref. to Texas Cemeteries, 1988; USGS

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.