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

City of Lubbock Cemetery

 
 
City of Lubbock Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, April 28, 2014
1. City of Lubbock Cemetery Marker
Inscription. In March 1892, a delegation of Lubbock residents requested five acres of pasture land from rancher H.M. Bandy for use as a cemetery. That same month, they held the first burial, that of a Cochran County cowboy, Henry Jenkins, who died of pneumonia while staying at a local hotel. The first Lubbock resident buried at the city cemetery was Joseph R. Coleman, who died in June 1892. His small cross-shaped headstone, no longer in existence, was the first erected in the cemetery.

The cemetery has held as many as four separate burial grounds, segregated by race, faith and economic level. Records indicate various and distinct cemetery associations maintained these burial grounds throughout the 20th century. One such group, Los Socios del Sementerio, or associates of the cemetery, provided for the burial of area migrant workers. The cemetery was integrated in the late 1960s.

With more than 60,000 graves, the City of Lubbock Cemetery is one of the largest in Texas. Burials here represent a broad cross-section of the city's history. Among those interred here is the noted rock and roll musician and songwriter Charles Hardin Holley (Buddy Holly).
Historic Texas Cemetery – 2002

 
Erected 2002 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12968.)
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1892.
 
Location. Marker has been reported permanently removed. It was located near 33° 33.982′ N, 101° 48.903′ W. Marker was in Lubbock, Texas, in Lubbock County. It was on East 31st Street 0.1 miles east of Teak Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 2311 East 31st Street, Lubbock TX 79404, United States of America.

We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.

Regionally, this marker was on Texas’ South Plains. It was also on the American Great Plains, specifically on the Southern Plains, and specifically on the High Plains. Globally, it was in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Buddy Holly Historical Marker (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named City of Lubbock Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients (approx. 0.2 miles away); Willie Lusk Jr. (approx. 0.4 miles away); Paul Whitfield Horn (approx. 0.4 miles away); Bradford Knapp (approx. half a mile away); Mary & Mac Private School (approx. 0.7 miles away); Mount Gilead Baptist Church (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lubbock.
 
More about this
City of Lubbock Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, April 28, 2014
2. City of Lubbock Cemetery Marker
marker.
Marker was damaged by vandalism and replaced with a new marker with slightly different text, on April 19,2026.
 
City of Lubbock Cemetery image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, April 28, 2014
3. City of Lubbock Cemetery
Charles Hardin Holley (Buddy Holly) Gravesite image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Bill Kirchner, April 28, 2014
4. Charles Hardin Holley (Buddy Holly) Gravesite
City of Lubbock Cemetery Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, May 27, 2026
5. City of Lubbock Cemetery Marker
New cemetery marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on May 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 1,218 times since then and 48 times this year. Last updated on May 29, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 10, 2014, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.   5. submitted on May 29, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
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Jun. 16, 2026