Location: Oak Rest Cemetery, Gay Hill, Tx (area)Oak Rest Cemetery —TxGenWeb: Texas Landmark “301743N 0962643W Yegue Creek bottom 1 mile N of FM390 near Old Gay Hill.” --Recorded WASH01—Parsons. Cem Recs of Washington Co (1974): “[same] beautiful eminence overlooking th eYegua Creek bottom, about 1 mile N of FM 390 near Old Gay Hill. Approx 75 burials, earliest about 1860s. Index.” Tombstone-TxDoT map. THC Atlas: “The Rev. Hugh Wilson (1794-1868) organized Prospect Presbyterian Church at this site in February 1839. Located on land included in a Mexican land grant to James F. and Emily Perry, it was the second Presbyterian church founded in Texas. Worship services were conducted in a log schoolhouse where in 1840 the first Presbytery (Brazos) of Texas was organized. The congregation's second pastor, The Rev. James Weston Miller (1815-1888), founded Live Oak Female Seminary in 1853, and the church building housed some school classes. Under Miller's direction a foundation was laid here for a new sanctuary prior to the Civil War. The foundation stones, though never used, still exist. A new building was erected south of here near the seminary in 1872. The church disbanded in 1928 and its members transferred to Brenham Presbyterian Church. The 1872 building was dismantled in 1956. Among those interred in Oak Rest Cemetery are many pioneer members of Prospect Presbyterian Church, including the Miller family, and veterans of the Texas Revolution and the Civil War. Along with the nearby site of the Live Oak Female Seminary, the cemetery and church foundation stones serve as reminders of the area's pioneer heritage. LOCATION: 9 mi. N of Brenham on SH 36, then 2.6 mi. E on FM 390, then 0.9 mi. N on CR 58 (Mayfair Ln.).” [CR 55a and Mayfair Lane ??]THC site visit MB 9-11-03 Near intersection with Danheim Road and Mayfair Lane. Diverse formal markers over time, including rock walls, natural rock carnes, photo enamels and abundant floral and decorative grave materials. Fenced.Approx 2.63 acres.GPS 30.17.40.34967N -96.26.44.75429WUSGS 3096-132Low risk, THC marker, maintained, fenced, 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.