Historic Cemetery

Old Beyersville Cemetery

Coupland, Texas 78615
Location: Driving Directions:From CR 451/FM 619 intersection in Beyersville, go 0.9 mile north on FM 619. Turn left onto Wagon Wheel Rd. and go 0.1 mile west. Stop just before sharp bend and dilapidated house on south side of road, and walk 453 ft. south and west to the far western edge of cultivated field. Partly fenced cemetery is located on the north bank of Brushy Creek and on east bank of deep drainage. This cemetery is highly endangered. It is a map feature, but is located on private property. No cemetery signs are posted. The cemetery is partly fenced and is not maintained. Many of the grave markers are fallen, displaced, or missing, and the cemetery is heavily overgrown with bamboo. Many of the graves are not clearly visible. A deep drainage runs along the western edge of the cemetery and may have significantly eroded a portion of the cemetery. There may be unmarked graves outside the fenced area as well. A large fieldstone and several wooden fence post may mark a grave plot just south of the fenced cemetery. The unfenced area is also overgrown with vinca and iris. The cemetery is highly threatened by erosion, flooding, nearby cultivation, and neglect.

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.

gravesites