Near Blessing in Matagorda County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Old Hawley Cemetery

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2018

1. Old Hawley Cemetery Marker

Inscription.

Known 1838-1899 as Deming's Bridge Cemetery. Second post office in Matagorda County was located nearby in 1858.

Two acres donated by Emelius Savage and his son Norman for the cemetery and Tres Palacios Baptist Church, founded 1852. More land given by Jonathan E. Pierce, who in 1900 named area Hawley, honoring United States senator Robert Bradley Hawley.

Buried here are the brothers Jonathan E. and Abel H. ("Shang") Pierce and many other famous early cattlemen; also, more than 50 veterans of Civil War and all U.S. wars since 1865.

Erected 1967 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 3741.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1838.

Location. 28° 53.267′ N, 96° 10.636′ W. Marker is near Blessing, Texas, in Matagorda County. Marker is at the intersection of State Highway 35 and Hawley Cemetery Road (County Highway 437), on the right when traveling south on State Highway 35. Marker is located just off the highway, at the northwest corner of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Blessing TX 77419, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. William Walter “Pudge” Heffelfinger (approx.

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0.7 miles away); Hawley Cemetery (approx. ¾ mile away); Deming’s Bridge Community (approx. 0.8 miles away); Grimes Cemetery (approx. 2.1 miles away); Masonic Lodge #411 (approx. 2.8 miles away); Blessing Library Association (approx. 2.9 miles away); St. Peter’s Catholic Church (approx. 2.9 miles away); Blessing State Bank (approx. 2.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blessing.

Regarding Old Hawley Cemetery. Hawley Cemetery is about 1 mile north of the marker on Hawley Cemetery Road (County Road 437).

Also see . . . Hawley, Texas (A Texas Ghost Town).
Once known as Deming’s Bridge, after Edwin A. Deming, who constructed a crude bridge over the Tres Palacios River in 1857, the community went unnamed until a post office opened in 1858 – with Deming as postmaster. Abel “Shanghai” Pierce and his brother Jonathan had their ranch headquarters just south of the bridge around the time of the Civil War. By the mid 1880s, Deming’s Bridge had a thriving population of 300 which grew to 500 by the early 1890s. Jonathan Pierce had taken over as postmaster

Old Hawley Cemetery Marker (<i>wide view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2018

2. Old Hawley Cemetery Marker (wide view)

for the town by this time and when his son Abel received an appointment in the Navy, Pierce repaid the kindness of his son’s benefactor by renaming the town in his honor. Robert Bradley Hawley was the namesake, although the local school retained the name of Deming’s Bridge. In 1903 the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway was advancing across the prairie and Jon Pierce donated land to insure the railroad would pass through the region. The town of Blessing appeared that year and Hawley’s post office and Masonic Lodge moved to the new town, cutting Hawley loose to become an eventual ghost town. (Submitted on June 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Hawley Cemetery Road (<i>view from near marker; Hawley Cemetery is 1 mile north on this road</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2018

3. Hawley Cemetery Road (view from near marker; Hawley Cemetery is 1 mile north on this road)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 541 times since then and 79 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 7, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.