Historic Texas Cemetery marker ready for dedication

No action was taken following a report made to the Young County Historical Commission regarding a Historic Texas Cemetery marker ready for dedication at a county cemetery.

The Historic Texas Cemetery designation is an official recognition of family and community graveyards that imposes no restrictions on use of land adjacent to the cemetery or the daily operations of the cemetery.

According to THC, every county in the state has at least one cemetery with this designation, which serves as a first step to preserve a historic cemetery. 

The Texas Historical Commission has the county cemetery on the Hwy. 380 bypass listed as Oak Grove Colored - Graham Colored - Johnston Cemetery, which is what is listed on the name plate of the THC marker. 

The Young County Commissioner Court voted Monday, April 14 to name the cemetery as the William P. Johnston Cemetery.

The Young County Historical Commission heard a presentation Thursday, Sept. 18 by Vanessa Sims regarding the Historic Texas Cemetery medallion and a potential dedication ceremony.

“It’s a combination of a medallion and a name plate. The medallion has all the important symbols of Historic Texas Cemeteries,” Sims said.

Sims filed as a sponsor for the THC designation Nov. 1, 2023, which was approved by the state organization April 18, 2024. The application was taken to the office of Young County and filed into the official records May 3, 2024.

The designation records the cemetery location and boundaries in the county deed records as a historically dedicated cemetery for preservation and alerts current and future landowners of the historic location. Additionally, the designation documents the current conditions.