Near Avinger in Marion County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Pyland African American Cemetery
August 8, 2023
1. Pyland African American Cemetery Marker
Inscription.
Pyland African American Cemetery. . In 1862, John D. Pyland, who owned 500 acres in Tarrant County, swapped that land for 500 acres of William Johnson’s land in Marion County. On adjoining tracts of this agricultural property, he established Anglo and African American cemeteries. Many burials in this graveyard, also known as Pyland Cemetery #2, are of formerly enslaved people who worked on Pyland’s plantation. Others were later tenant farmers and sharecroppers who spurred the local economy in the late 1800s. The first recorded burial is for Annie Lou Gipson (1885-1889). More than 300 plots and grave depressions have been identified, with evidence of numerous unidentified burials. The cemetery remains a beloved site and a chronicle of the area’s heritage.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2017
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In 1862, John D. Pyland, who owned 500 acres in Tarrant County, swapped that land for 500 acres of William Johnson’s land in Marion County. On adjoining tracts of this agricultural property, he established Anglo and African American cemeteries. Many burials in this graveyard, also known as Pyland Cemetery #2, are of formerly enslaved people who worked on Pyland’s plantation. Others were later tenant farmers and sharecroppers who spurred the local economy in the late 1800s. The first recorded burial is for Annie Lou Gipson (1885-1889). More than 300 plots and grave depressions have been identified, with evidence of numerous unidentified burials. The cemetery remains a beloved site and a chronicle of the area’s heritage.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2017
Erected 2017 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 23362.)
Location. 32° 51.415′ N, 94° 31.362′ W. Marker is near Avinger, Texas, in Marion County. Marker can be reached from Texas Route 49, 3.3 miles south of Texas Route 155, on the right when traveling south. The marker is located at the south
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side of the Pyland Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Avinger TX 75630, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2023, by Lane Greer of Stillwater, Oklahoma. This page has been viewed 174 times since then and 85 times this year. Photo1. submitted on August 12, 2023. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A photo of the marker and the surrounding area in context. • Can you help?
