Washington Avenue Coalition / Memorial Park in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Washington Cemetery
Though headstones of reinterred persons show birth dates as early as 1800 and death dates as early as 1855, the earliest known burial is that of three-year-old Pauline Ottilie Zeitler, on March 31, 1887. As least 15 citizens of the Republic of Texas and immigrants from more than 20 nations lie at rest here. Eighteen lots are owned by fraternal, labor, or veteran groups. More than 7600 persons are interred here, with more added each year.
Also buried here are more than 300 veterans of nine wars, from the Black Hawk War of 1832 to Vietnam, including more than 135 Confederate and Union veterans. Sarah Emma Evelyn (Edmonds) Seelye, aka Franklin Thompson, is noted for writing a book about her service as a man in the Federal Army, 1861-63.
After the last charter expired in 1947, the superintendent's widow and her housekeeper tried to maintain the cemetery, but they did not have the resources needed. By the 1970s, it was badly overgrown. Concerned Citizens for Washington Cemetery Care (CCWCC) was founded in 1977, cleared away the jungle-like growth, and cared for the cemetery over the next 22 years. In 1997, CCWCC became the first group in Texas legally granted the authority to "restore, operate, and maintain a historic cemetery" under a 1995 Texas law; that authority was transferred to adjacent Glenwood Cemetery in 1999.
Erected 2012 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 18068.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1887.
Location. 29° 45.897′ N, 95° 23.3′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Washington Avenue Coalition / Memorial Park. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Washington Avenue and Custus Street, on the right when traveling east. The main entrance into Washington Cemetery from the street is no longer open. The cemetery can be accessed through the adjacent Glenwood Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2911 Washington Avenue, Houston TX 77007, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Ellis Benson (within shouting distance of this marker); Gustav August Forsgard (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Charlotte Marie Baldwin Allen (about 400 feet away); Edwin Fairfax Gray (about 400 feet away); Archibald Wynns (about 500 feet away); William Gammell (about 500 feet away); Irvin Capers Lord (about 700 feet away); Eugene Thomas Heiner (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 4, 2018, by Brian Anderson of Humble, Texas. This page has been viewed 208 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 4, 2018, by Brian Anderson of Humble, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.