Greater East End in Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Harrisburg-Jackson Cemetery

Photographed by James Hulse, May 21, 2024

1. Harrisburg-Jackson Cemetery Marker

Inscription. The earliest origins of this cemetery are undocumented. African American burials likely began with development of the local cattle industry and area railroads during the 1840s and 1850s. By the 1870s an African American community was well established in Harrisburg, about that time, former slaves began to establish their own fraternal organizations. The Mutual Benevolent Association was chartered in 1878. As a service to its members, the association arranged and sometimes financed burial services on this site, located between Harrisburg and what apparently was a proposed Freedman's town which never materialized. Ownership of the land changed several times in the ensuing years, and a benevolent organization called Loving Band of Hope acquired the property in 1899, caring for the cemetery for 23 years. In 1922, the Jackson Funeral Home, among the oldest African American funeral homes in Houston, bought the cemetery property and used it as its primary burial ground until the last recorded burial in 1967.

Among the graves is that of Tom Blue, once a body servant of Sam Houston, Blue reported that he was present at the Battle of San Jacinto. He served Houston until escaping to Mexico before the Emancipation Proclamation and later returned to live out his long life in Harrisburg. Also buried here are Steve Ray, a rodeo rider and cowboy on the Samuel Allen Ranch in Pasadena; Black civic leader George W. Sanders; Wilson Burley, who fought in the Civil War in the 84th U.S. Colored Infantry; Austin C. Winfree, a buffalo soldier who served in Cuba during the Spanish American War; and veterans of World War I.

The cemetery is a chronicle of the African American slaves, former slaves and pioneers of Harrisburg and of Texas.

Erected 2000 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12325.)

Topics. This

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historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location. 29° 42.923′ N, 95° 16.934′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Greater East End. It is at the intersection of Bowie Street and Lawndale Street, on the right when traveling east on Bowie Street. The marker is located behind the main gate to the cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7710 Bowie St, Houston TX 77012, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Old Harrisburg (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named

Photographed by James Hulse, May 21, 2024

2. Harrisburg-Jackson Cemetery Marker

The marker is located just behind the gate to the cemetery.

Old Harrisburg (approx. 0.3 miles away); Holy Cross Mission (approx. 0.4 miles away); Site of the Home of Mrs. Jane Harris (approx. half a mile away); Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railroad (approx. half a mile away); Glendale Cemetery (approx. half a mile away); Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church (approx. 0.7 miles away); Immaculate Conception Catholic Church (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.

The entrance to the Harrisburg-Jackson Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, May 21, 2024

3. The entrance to the Harrisburg-Jackson Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on May 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 27, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,810 times since then and 231 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 27, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.