Location: City Cemetery, MineolaAKA Mineola Black CemeteryUSGS map, City Cem.Recorded: WOOD03—Parsons; (location in Co. Hist., Vol. 2, p. 80: “ … adjoins and is part of the Mineola City Cem. … on the west side … no estimate of unmarked graves … many headstones in 1970. … Located 0.6 mile south of the intersection of Hwy80 and Hwy60 in downtown Mineola, on the west side of Hwy69. No sign and no indication of cemetery entrance. … property doesn’t belong to the city .. owned by the Reeves family, lots deeded as needed, no upkeep other than family … many broken markers … ) Cemetery Index. [garden clubs maintained the “city” (white) part of the cemetery in 1970.] (Tx Funeral Serv. Com.) Contact at PO Box 301, Mineola, TX 75773THC site visit MB 1/10/04. Large sign, City Cemetery, on Belcher St., just W of intersection with South St., approx 0.2 mile W of Hwy 69. Long lane entrance to hilltop location. Some erosion on W side. Lane and cemetery area fenced, mostly chain link, distinctly separated from Mineola City Cem-white cem. One small footpath gateway in separating fence, near mid-point of older burial areas in both cems. Diversity of markers over time, and in aesthetics. Formal and informal, a few fieldstone markers. Many Cedar marker trees, shrubs. One Texas Landmark marker for Veasy family, influential educators in Texas. Marked graves date from late 1800s thru recent burials. Mowed grass, abundant floral and decorative grave materials, some stone and masonry sculptures. Paved internal access roadway. GPS 32.39.20.70685N –95.29.37.38963W.
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.