Olympia in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Prairie Grove Cemetery
Oral tradition tells that Prairie Grove Missionary Baptist Church first met in the Burleson home; Mamie Burleson was instrumental in naming the church. In October 1920, L.P. Scarborough sold this land to church trustees S.B. Burleson and Will and Eddie Garmond. In 1921-22, the congregation built a white frame sanctuary that also served as a schoolhouse from 1927 to 1937. The congregation dwindled in the 1940s, and the building was later razed.
Early black families used other area cemeteries before establishing this burial ground adjacent to the church. About fifty known graves have been surveyed on the 1.35 acre property, along with several unmarked graves. The earliest known burials are those of Melissa Outley (1940), Leo Bryant, Jr. (1941), Lillian Garmond Jackson (1942) and Lucy Truitt (1943). Unmarked graves, however, may predate these. Pioneer families, freemasons and military veterans from World War II and the Vietnam conflict are buried here. Descendants of church founders formed Prairie Grove Cemetery Association in 1967 to maintain and preserve the burial ground. The once rural cemetery is still in use by descendants of early families and others.
Erected 2006 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 14033.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches & Religion • Education. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1920.
Location. 29° 41.02′ N, 95° 37.365′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Olympia. Marker is at the intersection of Renn Road and Eldridge Parkway, on the left when traveling west on Renn Road. The marker is located on the east side of the entrance to the cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 13685 Renn Road, Houston TX 77083, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Alief Cemetery (approx. 1.7 miles away); Dairy (Alief) (approx. 2.7 miles away); Sugar Land First United Methodist Church (approx. 3.8 miles away); Hodge's Bend Cemetery (approx. 3.8 miles away); Gray Lodge No. 329, A.F.& A.M. (approx. 4 miles away); Sugar Land Independent School District No. 17 (approx. 4.1 miles away); In Honor of Lonnie Green (approx. 4.2 miles away); Sugar Land High School World War II Memorial (approx. 4.2 miles 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 July 11, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 414 times since then and 103 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 12, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.