Bull Hill Cemetery

This graveyard, one of the oldest in Falls County, was used for the interment of African Americans for more than a century. James Coryell, an Anglo frontiersman killed in 1837, may be on of the earliest burials. Bull Hill became the burial ground for the enslaved African Americans from the Churchill Jones plantation. Jones arrived in 1849 from Conecuh County, Alabama with nearly 60 enslaved African Americans and established a 28,000 acre plantation encompassing the former Sarahville de Viesca settlement. After emancipation, African American freedmen from the China Grove community continued to use Bull Hill to inter their deceased. The cemetery is one of the surviving vestiges of the China Grove community. About 1880, members of the Bailey, Broadus, Curry, Johnson, Mozee, Paul, Sneed, Stokes, Taylor, Tomlinson and Travis families formed this vibrant Freedman's community. Community members established the China Grove African Church, later renamed the China Grove Baptist Church, and built a school for their children. Many enslaved African Americans were brought to this area from Alabama by the Jones, Tomlinson and Stallworth families. Newly freed African Americans often remained in the area working as tenant farmers. Several families acquired land and some started businesses. The last burial in Bull Hill was in 1961. Recent archaeological, archival and oral historical research has helped reconstruct and preserve its history. Archaeology has confirmed oral history testimony stating there were more than 100 burials in Bull Hill. Grave marker materials include native stone, brick, concrete, marble, granite, metal and wood. Today, Bull Hill Cemetery remains a hallowed place and a vital link to the area's rich African American heritage. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2009