Oak Grove Cemetery holds some of the oldest graves in Texas. In November, two events a week apart will put names and voices back on them.
Medallion dedication, Nov. 7
The Stone Fort Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, working with the City of Nacogdoches, will dedicate Oak Grove Cemetery as an official historical site of the Republic of Texas on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. on the cemetery grounds on Lanana Street.
The ceremony also formally marks the resting places of eight men whose service during the Texas Revolution helped establish the Republic: Dr. Robert Irion, John Roberts, Charles S. Taylor, Adolphus Sterne, Captain Hayden Arnold, Hayden Edwards, Thomas J. Rusk and William Clark.
“Preserving the history of the Republic of Texas for future generations is central to our mission,” said Trisha Perkins, historical sites chair for the DRT. “Marking these resting places is one way we carry out that responsibility and encourage an interest in local history.”
After a brief program, guests can walk to the honorees’ gravesites, see the newly installed medallions and learn more about the men and the cemetery. The event is free and open to the public. It falls on the same Saturday as the Historic Skills Fair at the Durst-Taylor Historic House and Gardens, so a visitor could make a day of both.
Living History tour, Nov. 14
On Saturday, Nov. 14, Friends of Historic Nacogdoches, Inc., with Nacogdoches Historic Sites, presents the Living History of Oak Grove Cemetery Tour. Guides lead groups through the cemetery, where reenactors portray historical figures and tell their stories in first person, past aged gravestones and towering magnolias.
Tours begin at 10 a.m. and leave every 20 minutes, with the last tour starting at 12:40 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person at the event, and children 10 and under get in free. Proceeds go to Friends of Historic Nacogdoches, Inc. and its work preserving and sharing the city’s history.
Oak Grove Cemetery was established in 1837 and is recognized by the Texas Historical Commission as a Historic Texas Cemetery. Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence are buried there, along with veterans of the Texas Revolution and other conflicts.
For more information on either event, email historicsites@nactx.us or call (936) 560-4441. Friends of Historic Nacogdoches also posts tour details on its Facebook page.
