Historic Cemetery

Liberty Cemetery

Athens, Texas 75752
Location: From intersection of Hwy 64 and Hwy 19, take Hwy 19 S. 12.8 miles, turn left on FM 1861 3.1 miles to FM 2339, turn right .6 miles. Map on page 174 of Graveyards of Vanzandt Co, TX., Volumes A&B.

Source: Van Zandt County Texas Cemeteries Book 1-4; Parsons, Kim, Ref. to Texas Cemeteries, 1988; Graveyards of Vanzandt Co, TX., Volumes A&B; TxDot map 1990

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.