Wharton Cemetery
Historical marker location:Wharton County was established in 1846, and the county seat, Wharton, was laid out on the Mexican land grant of "Old 300" colonist William Kincheloe. In 1866, county commissioners appointed James Whitten to find a suitable location for a cemetery. The site chosen was just a few blocks from the courthouse square and was already used as a graveyard. The oldest marked burial is that of Barbara Betts (d. 1843).
Official plats of the cemetery in 1912 and 1928 show the burial sites of many of Wharton's earliest families, city founders and important figures, such as Amanda Armstrong Watts (d. 1924), first public schoolteacher in Wharton in 1880 and city postmistress in 1881. More than 140 veterans are buried here, including those who served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korean War and Vietnam Conflict.
The Wharton Cemetery exhibits detail in planning and development. Features include obelisks, brick cairns, decorated fencing, curbed plots and a large number of vertical stones. A 1931 marker indicates the city had a cemetery committee as early as 1906. A committee still maintains the burial ground, preserving the history of Wharton for future generations.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002.
In the late 19th century, Texas became known for its cattle drives, in which cowboys would move herds of cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas and other northern states. The cattle drives were dangerous and difficult work, but they played a key role in the development of the American cattle industry.