Covington in Hill County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Covington Cemetery

Photographed by James Hulse, January 11, 2025

1. Covington Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Established in the mid-1800s, the Covington Cemetery honors the memory of early Texas pioneers of Hill County and their descendants. In the early 1850s, James Jackson Gathings (1817-1880) moved from Mississippi to Texas, bringing his family, slaves, and enough livestock and essentials for creating a new life on the Blackland Prairie of north central Texas. In May of 1853, he purchased 3,136 acres on Aquilla Creek, which was the first recorded land purchase James made in Hill County. In 1854, James' younger brother, Philip Gathings (1819-1895), purchased 1,471 acres adjacent to his brother and together they developed two large plantations for agriculture and raising stock. James designated one hundred acres of this land to be laid out in lots of one to five acres for the town of Covington. He installed a steam mill, saw mill, tannery, wood shop, cloth loom, and brick yards. The brothers donated 10 acres for a church and the Gathings Male and Female College, the first in Hill County.

The earliest marked grave in the Covington Cemetery is for James Gathings' son-in-law, Joseph Patterson Wier (1831-1864), who was killed during the Civil War, at the Battle of Yellow Bayou in Louisiana. Joseph was initially buried near the battlefield. James had Joseph's body brought home and reinterred on the highest elevation in the cemetery. The cemetery includes 7.5 acres and almost 2,500 marked graves maintained by the Covington Cemetery fund. In 1970, Allie Plumlee, Lucille Cowley Williams and Wileta Gathings McCall organized the townspeople to clean and restore the cemetery. A distinguishing feature of the cemetery is the native rock wall surrounding the property. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2017

Erected 2017 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 19987.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in

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this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1853.

Location. 32° 10.82′ N, 97° 15.678′ W. Marker is in Covington, Texas, in Hill County. It is at the intersection of Cemetery Road and Itaska Road on Cemetery Road. The marker is located at the front of the cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 Cemetery Rd, Covington TX 76636, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region.

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,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Gathings College (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Presbyterian Church of Itasca (approx. 6.7 miles away); Site of Switzer College (approx. 6.9 miles away); Itasca Railroad Depot (approx. 7.1 miles away); Erected in Memory of Phillip Nolan (approx. 7.3 miles away); Rio Vista

Covington Cemetery and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 11, 2025

2. Covington Cemetery and Marker

(approx. 7.7 miles away); Town of Grandview (approx. 7.8 miles away); Grandview Masonic Lodge (approx. 7.8 miles away).

The entrance to the Covington Cemetery and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 11, 2025

3. The entrance to the Covington Cemetery and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 12, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 459 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 12, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.