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

Greenleaf Cemetery

Photographed by James Hulse, May 30, 2024

1. Greenleaf Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Greenleaf Fisk, a pioneer who later would be known as the "Father of Brownwood," gave the city five acres in 1868 for a public burial ground. It is now the Main City Cemetery of Brownwood. The original main gate to the cemetery was given by the Coggin Family, who also helped found Brownwood. The gate consisted of large sculptured columns supporting an iron archway. Several decades later, that entrance was closed and a new entrance gate was donated by the Brownwood Garden Club. In 1978, the Greenleaf Cemetery Association was incorporated under the Texas Non-Profit Corporation Act. Those buried here lie beneath native trees such as cedar, oak, pecan, crepe myrtle and cottonwood.

The first known burial is that of Emma B. Adams who passed in 1873. Citizens and families of those buried here cared for the cemetery until 1916, when the city wrote its maintenance into the city charter. Among those buried here are Noah T. Byars, owner of the blacksmith shop where the Declaration of Texas Independence was signed; Weston LaFayette Williams, Sam Houston's son-in-law; Dr. Mollie Armstrong, the first woman optometrist in Texas; Robert Howard, author and creator of Conan the Barbarian; Will E. Mayes, who served as Lt. Governor of Texas and was founder and dean of the School of Journalism at the University of Texas; and Greenleaf Fisk himself. Also buried here are veterans from every war, including Buffalo Soldiers. Today, the Greenleaf Cemetery numbers more than 22,000 graves, reflecting a continuum of the area's history from pioneer times to the modern day. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2010

Erected 2010 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 17359.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location. 31° 42.364′ N, 98° 59.891′ W.

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Marker is in Brownwood, Texas, in Brown County. It is on U.S. 377. The marker is located in the northern section of the Greenleaf Cemetery near the old entrance to the cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Brownwood TX 76801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Big Country.

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 Comanchería,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Henry Ford (within shouting distance of this marker); Charlie Webb and John Wesley Hardin (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert E. Howard (approx. 0.3 miles away); "Hey Paula" (approx. 1.1 miles away); Howard Payne University (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Rev. Dr. John David Robnett (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Rev. Noah Turner Byars (approx. 1.1 miles away); R. B. Rogers House (approx. 1.2 miles away).

The Greenleaf Cemetery Marker near the old entrance to the cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, May 30, 2024

2. The Greenleaf Cemetery Marker near the old entrance to the cemetery

Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brownwood.

Also see . . . Greenleaf Fisk. Wikipedia

Greenleaf Fisk (1807–1888) was a pioneer, known as "the Father of Brownwood, Texas". When a land and water dispute necessitated a new site for Brown County's seat of Brownwood, Fisk donated the land for the new location. He was a military veteran of the Texas Revolution and was a member of the Republic of Texas House of Representatives. Fisk was a Chief Justice when he lived in Bastrop, Texas. When he relocated his family to Brown County, he became a substantial land owner and served the people in several positions of local government. In 1968, the home of Greenleaf Fisk was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. February 25, 2004, the home was put on the National Register of Historic Places.

(Submitted on June 8, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 500 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 8, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.