Location: Salem Cem--Recorded WALL03—Parsons. [See also White Cem.]HbTx: “Salem is on Farm Road 1736 four miles northwest of Hempstead … may have been established before the Civil War;qv a few … grave markers … predate the war. … In 1990 a few scattered dwellings …and the cemetery remain at the site.” Direct of Cems in Waller Co, 1977/1992: “located in BBB & C Sur, ab 91, about 2.5 miles W of FM 1736, intersection of Jones Rd & Henson Rd, w/ 17.04 acres, conveyed to Salem Academy in 1853 by T. B. White. Two sections, on either side of road. Oldest marker about 1850s. … cared for by families of Salem community, mtg & picnic lunch. Approx. 300 burials, plus some unmarked graves, earliest marked 1850s. Index.” Websites for Waller Co Hist & TexHist Cem: “Photos as White Cem.…Salem and Old Salem are now the same cemetery, partial inventory, photos, info from HbTx. Near FM1736, N of Hempstead, USGS map*, map, map, TxDoT.” GNIS on Howth map. THC Atlas, marker. THC site visit MB 5/15/04: Salem, Tx. FM 1735, 0.1 mile S on Jones Rd. Set back from road, about 200 ft., also near Precinct Bldg. Rural residential, pasture and woodland in area. Formal cemetery, fenced. Diversity of formal and informal markers over time. Cedar and Oak marker trees. Benches, windchimes, churbs, gravel, flags, photo enamels, sundial. Also vaults, slabs, obelisks, a few sculptures and a few fieldstones with formal markers. US veterans, affiliations incl. WoW. Approx 5.3 acres. GPS 30.10.08.65083N –96.05.32.43482W. Quad 3096-114.Low risk of endangerment: fenced, maintained, still in use, eveidence of frequent visitation, visible from roadways, rural residential area.
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.