Woodway in McLennan County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Willow Grove Community Cemetery
This cemetery has served the community of Willow Grove since the late 1800s. William "Buck" Manning and A.W. Crawford, former slaves, moved here with their families in the years following emancipation (1865), founding Willow Grove in 1871. They purchased property and each man donated an acre of land on which to establish Willow Grove Baptist Church and this cemetery.
The first burial in Willow Grove Community Cemetery was for Dallas Gardner in 1880, followed in the same year by infant Joe A. Crawford. Most of the early settlers in Willow Grove, including Buck Manning and A.W. Crawford, are buried here. Other early families represented in the burial ground are the Browns, Hamiltons, Robersons and McLennans. Notable burials include those of Jewett Presnall (Preston) Manning, a World War II Veteran and Speegleville Fire Chief. Also interred here are veterans of foreign conflicts dating to World War I and a number of individuals whose graves are unmarked.
As the community grew, concerned residents came together to care for the cemetery. In 1935, The Willow Grove Homecoming Club, later renamed Willow Grove Homecoming, formed to maintain the grounds and define guidelines for interment of family and community members. The association still cares for the burial ground. Today, Willow Grove Community Cemetery continues to serve area residents and descendants of the pioneering families who came together to form a rural settlement here.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2005
Marker is the property of the State of Texas
Erected 2005 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 14037.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.
Location. 31° 33.036′ N, 97° 18.204′ W. Marker is in Woodway, Texas, in McLennan County. Marker is on Willow Grove Road, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Woodway TX 76712, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Speegleville Baptist Church (approx. 1.3 miles away); Bosque River Crossing of the 1841 Texan Santa Fe Expedition (approx. 4 miles away); Central Presbyterian Church (approx. 6 miles away); Central Christian Church (approx. 6 miles away); Congregation Agudath Jacob (approx. 6.2 miles away); First United Methodist Church of Waco (approx. 6.4 miles away); Waco Lodge No. 92, A.F. & A.M. (approx. 6.7 miles away); Stanford Chapel Cemetery (approx. 6.8 miles away).
Also see . . . Ex-slaves' Willow Grove saga worthy of reflection, celebration. (Submitted on May 2, 2020, by Kevin Hoch of Waco, Texas.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 2, 2020, by Kevin Hoch of Waco, Texas. This page has been viewed 259 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 2, 2020, by Kevin Hoch of Waco, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.