Homer
Cemetery
Lufkin
vicinity, Angelina County, Texas
Cemeteries
of Texas Coordinator: Dolores I. Bishop
Information
provided by the State of Texas Atlas Site
Location
4 mi. southeast of Lufkin on SH 69, .7 mi. south on FM 326 to Homer Cemetery
Rd., .25 mi. north to cemetery and marker
Marker:
In
1854 W. W. Manning established a drugstore and sawmill in this area, and named
the community after his former home in Homer, Louisiana. In 1856 Homer was
chosen as Angelina County seat, following a mandate from the Texas Legislature
to locate a permanent seat of government near the geographic center of each
county. County surveyor William G. Lang platted the town of Homer in 1857. The
town included a central courthouse surrounded by 24 blocks and 132 lots. Homer
Cemetery was located southeast of the courthouse square. The first recorded
grave in the cemetery is that of Margaret Patterson McMullen in 1861. Two of
McMullen's sons served in the Civil War, and both are also buried here. Among
other veterans from the Civil War to the Vietnam War Homer remained the county
seat until 1892 and included several businesses, public and private schools,
churches, and a newspaper. Due to its prominence in the county, many county
officials are buried here. Governed by a board of trustees, Homer Cemetery
contains 270 burials, and continues to serve the community. (1997)