Near Kirvin in Freestone County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Sessions Cemetery
Photographed by James Hulse, February 25, 2021
1. Sessions Cemetery Marker
This cemetery is the largest of three slave graveyards which local tradition indicates were established in the area in the early 1850s. It was named for delegate to Texas' Constitutional Convention of 1875 and prominent local citizen Gustavus Adolphus (G.A.) Sessions (1827-1902), who donated the land. The oldest burial here is believed to be that of Anderson Carter, who died in the 1850s. The cemetery is closely associated with the nearby Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church and contains the grave sites of many notable former area slaves and their descendants.
Erected 1994 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 9902.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1875.
Location. 31° 46.254′ N, 96° 19.364′ W. Marker is near Kirvin, Texas, in Freestone County. It is at the intersection of Sessions Street (Farm to Market Road 80) and County Highway 1080, on the left when traveling south on Sessions Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Streetman TX 75859, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church and School (approx. 1.2 miles away); Site of Woodland College for Boys (approx. 1½ miles away); Woodland Cemetery (approx. 1½ miles away); Woodland Heritage
this page online
Photographed by James Hulse, February 25, 2021
2. Sessions Cemetery and Marker
Photographed by James Hulse, February 25, 2021
3. The front entrance to the Sessions Cemetery and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 627 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 5, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
