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

Graves of Unknown Matagorda Settlers

Photographed By James Hulse, October 11, 2020

1. Graves of Unknown Matagorda Settlers Marker

Inscription.

This mound, long thought to be a 19th century mass grave, was the subject of a study by the Center of Ecological Archaeology at Texas A&M University in the spring of 2001. Instead of a mass grave, it was found to contain six individual graves: a man in his 20s to his early 30s, a woman in her late 20s to early 30s, a 2 to 3 year old child of undetermined sex, and two other individuals, one possibly an infant, whose remains were not examined. Coffin construction and personal effects suggest interments occurred at different times between c.1850-1875.
Matagorda Cemetery Association

Erected 2001 by Matagorda Cemetery Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 2001.

Location. 28° 42.089′ N, 95° 57.345′ W. Marker is in Matagorda, Texas, in Matagorda County. Marker can be reached from Matagorda Cemetery Road, 0.1 miles south of State Highway 60. The marker is in the north-central section of Matagorda Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Matagorda TX 77457, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. First Burials in Matagorda Cemetery (a few steps from this marker); The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1862 (within

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shouting distance of this marker); Matagorda Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Hannah Carr (within shouting distance of this marker); The Matagorda Incident (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Matagorda Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Richard Royster Royall (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Albert Clinton Horton (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Matagorda.

Regarding Graves of Unknown Matagorda Settlers. The mound with unknown graves - Local tradition held that it contained the remains of victims of one of three catastrophes wherein numerous individuals perished: (1) an armed conflict in 1826 between Anglo settlers and Karankawa Indians native to the region; (2) a yellow fever epidemic in the fall of 1862 that resulted in the death of Anglo-American settlers; and (3) a weather-related boating disaster in the winter of 1863 wherein Confederate military personnel and volunteers drowned in Matagorda Bay or died of exposure.
Source - Study by the Center of Ecological
Photographed By James Hulse, October 11, 2020

2. Graves of Unknown Matagorda Settlers and Marker
Archaeology at Texas A&M University

Also see . . . Matagorda Texas. TSHA Texas State Historical Association (Submitted on October 25, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 197 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 25, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.