Location: Good Hope Cemetery—TxGenWeb: Texas Landmark “301905N 0961612W On La Bahia Rd near Wm Penn.” --Recorded WASH01—Parsons. Cem Recs of Washington Co (1974): “301906 – 961613 [??] well-kept cem in grove of ancient oaks on the old La Bahia Rd near William Penn. Approx 50 burials, earliest about 1880s. Index.” Tombstone-TxDoT map. THC site visit MB 3/31/04: Site about 0.4 miles on William Penn Rd, off CR 390 near bend in road. Slopping from roadway into orchard of huge Oak trees. Arched entryway and iron bar cattle fencing across front. Field and barbed wire fencing on 3 sides, adjacent to wooded area. Access path thru middle of cem. Many fenced graves, individual and family plots. One stone vault, plus remenants apparently of another? Diversity of formal markers over time, little floral material on graves except for recent formal markers and bench. Some erosion, evidence of repair and maintenance attention. Approx 3.07 acres.GPS 30.19.06.28155N –96.16.15.04920W Quad 3096-131Moderate risk, some natural erosion, but recent burials, maintained, on map.
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.