Location: Bethlehem Lutheran Church Cemetery AKA Bethlehem Cem #??#1S of Brazos River, on FM 1935, N of Hwy 390 Bethlehem Cemetery—TxGenWeb: Texas Landmark 301922 – 0961641 church “Bethlehem Lutheran Wm Penn.”-- Cem Recs of Washington Co (1974): “301927 – 961643 – adjacent to Bethlehem Ch, William Penn Com. Approx 200 burials, earliest about 1880s. Index.” Tombstone-TxDoT map.Recorded WASH01—Parsons. Cem Recs of Washington Co. (1974): Parsons. THC site visit MB 3/31/04. William Penn, Tx. Area. S of Brazos River, on FM 1935, N of Hwy 390. Church, school.Hill top location, dramatic vista to E. Arched entryway and gate, stone columns and complete chain link fencing. Adjacent large Lutheran church, halls, parsonage/rectory and school playground. Lutheran landscape configuration. Large and diverse formal markers over time, chronologically organized, some family plots. Curbing, slabs, large statuary, obelisks. One Cedar marker tree in central area. Area shows evidence of recent inclusion of annex areas to N and E, next to playground. Approx 1.95 acres. GPS 30.19.27.17485N –96.16.42.54475W Quad 3096-131 Low risk endangerment, associated church. maintained, still in use, on map. USGS 3096-131 Independence Near William Penn School Texas LandmarkTxDoT.
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.