Historical Marker: Founded in 1871, Frio Town served as the first county
seat of Frio County. A courthouse was built in 1876, and a number
of families built homes in the area. The International and Great
Northern Railroad built a line from San Antonio to Laredo in 1881,
bypassing Frio Town. By 1883 the new town of Pearsall (16 mi.
E) on the rail line became the new county seat. One of the few
physical reminders of the historic Frio Town community, this cemetery
stands as a testament to the county's early pioneer history. The
first burials occurred in 1873, when Calvin Massey (1797-1873)
was killed by Indians, and Robert Wesley Hiler (1855-1873) died
in a horse riding accident. Among the pioneer settlers interred
here are Ben (1813-1893) and Minerva (1817-1895) Slaughter and
their descendants, as well as members of the Roberts, Hiler, Little,
Loxton, Taylor, Hattox, Blackaller, and Minus families. A number
of early graves are unmarked. Six men killed in an Indian raid
on the William J. Slaughter sheep ranch in 1876 are buried together
in a row of graves. The cemetery also contains the burials of
a number of infants and small children, a reflection of harsh
conditions on the frontier. (1991)
Location: From Pearsall, take 140 West about 14 miles to Cemetery (located on south side of road).