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Narrative HistoryFounders' Memorial Park Cemetery Photo Courtesy of Donna Beth Shaw Page 1 Application for Texas Historic Cemetery Designation Narrative History and Local Context of the Cemetery ***** Founders' Memorial Park Cemetery Houston, Harris County, Texas Prepared August 2004 re-written January 2005
SYNOPSIS: The Founders' Memorial Park Cemetery in Houston, Harris County, Texas is an integral part of the history of Houston and Texas. The cemetery serves as an example of the pioneer spirit of these early citizens who had the vision to start the City of Houston on the muddy banks of a bayou, never dreaming that someday their legacy would be one of the greatest city's in the world. The cemetery is located near downtown Houston at 1217 West Dallas Street at Valentine Street in the center of the 4th Ward, abutting the Historic Beth Israel Cemetery. Since the 1936, the Texas Centennial Celebration, the cemetery has been known as the Founders' Memorial Park Cemetery as a way to reflect the historic nature of the site. This small obscure cemetery, located within sight of the skyscrapers of downtown Houston is the burial location of some of the greats of Texas history. Houston has been blessed with incredible leaders who have guided her destiny, and many of these early men and women are buried in unmarked graves in this historic cemetery. Over the years, the cemetery has many times fallen into a severe neglected status, but today it is proudly maintained on a regular basis by the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department. The 1.2 acre cemetery is surrounded by a 5-foot chain-link fence. there have been numerous burials in the cemetery, but there are fewer than 75 headstones,1 many of which were erected by the State of Texas for the 1936 Centennial Celebration. Most burials date from 1837 through 1908, although a few are dated in the 1900's, with the most recent burial being 1949. There are too many historic individuals buried in this cemetery to go into great detail ________________________
Page 2 on each and every one, but sufficed to say that this cemetery is the final resting place of many great Houstonians and Texans. On Wednesday, December 19, 1928, the City Council passed an Ordinance2 conveying to the Trustees of Congregation Beth Israel, "2.5 acres of land, being the Old City Cemetery tract out of the John Austin Two League Grant and the Obedience Smith Survey, S. S. B. B."3 4 The size of the land deed to Congregation Beth Israel was 415.6 feet by 261.01 feet, totaling, 108,915.3 square feet of land, more or less. The Congregation Beth Israel had plans drawn to reuse the old City Cemetery by removing the graves to Protestant cemeteries thereby allowing them to use the land to expand the Jewish Cemetery. When Tobias Sakowitz learned of the history of the old City Cemetery and found it contained the remains of many of the founders of the Republic of Texas who were in unmarked graves, he stated "it was not the intention of the Congregation Beth Israel to desecrate any grave and had the trustees known the true facts in the case, they never would have asked that the property be deeded to them."5 On Monday, December 29, 1930, Congregation Beth Israel deeded the City Cemetery back to the City of Houston with a reverter clause that required the City to 'operate and maintain the tract of land as a memorial park and shall beautify and landscape the same in order to make it a fitting memorial park...[if the City] shall fail...the title shall revert to the grantor [Beth Israel]..."6 The actual amount of land returned to the City of Houston for Founders' Memorial Park Cemetery was only 1.2 acres with the land measuring 281.5 feet by 259 feet, totaling ________________________
Page 3 41,186.8 square feet, more or less. Thereby, reducing in size the City Cemetery/Founders' Memorial Park Cemetery, by over one-half. On the 1.3 acres of land kept by Congregation Beth Israel, they built their new mausoleum. there are no records of any of the graves in the City Cemetery/Founders' Memorial Park Cemetery being removed before the mausoleum was built. In 1936, during the Centennial Celebrations, the State of Texas erected individual monuments commemorating the service of 26 individuals whose graves were located in the cemetery. Since the actual gravesites of many of those honored were unknown, the monuments were placed in random positions throughout the park. The records indicate there are an additional twelve veterans of Battle of San Jacinto buried in unmarked graves, which were not provided with a state monument. Today, the cemetery lies in the quiet dignity of Houston's 4th Ward, waiting in sight of magnificent skyscrapers built on the legacy of what these visionary pioneers began. Looking out from windows in those giant monolithic buildings are today's leaders who sit on the cutting edge of history, little realizing that buried in the clump of trees below are the visionaries of their very existence. if it were not for the imagination and vision of these men and women who came to the banks of Buffalo Bayou, there might not be a Houston today. What a glorious future these men and women who rest at Founders' Memorial Park Cemetery left for each and every Houstonian!
Page 4 Bibliography Archival & Library Files Scrapbooks, Houston, TX: Texas & Local History Collection Public Library, vol. 21. Books Houston: A History and Guide. Houston, TX: Harris County Historical Soc., 1942. Houston: A Nation's Capital, 1837-1839. Houston, TX: Harris County Historical Soc., c1985 McComb, David G. Houston the Bayou City, Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1969. Williams, Amelia W. and Eugene Barker, eds. The Writings of Sam Houston, 1813-1863. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1939 Internet "Houston, Texas." The Handbook of Texas Online. < http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/ online/articles/view/HH/hdh3.html > (Aug. 4, 2004). "Houston Cemeteries." Funeral Service Providers. < http://www.funeralproviders.com/ HoustonCemeteries.index.html > (Aug. 4, 2004) Newspapers & Magazines Daily Telegraph (Houston), Fri. 18 Aug 1876 "Founders Park to Get Touch for Sightseers, City to Add Landscaping, Sidewalks." Houston Press, Sat., 19 Aug 1961, p. 2. "Great-great-grandfather Hogan buried at Founders." Houston Chronicle, Mon., 26 June 1978, Sec. 3, p. 7. Houston: Centennial Edition, 1840-1940. (Houston Chamber of Commerce). April 1940. Houston, (Houston Chamber of Commerce), April 1945. "Neglected Cemetery Resting Place of Pioneers." Houston Magazine, Houston Chamber of Commerce, July 1945. "Restoration Work Planned at Founders' Memorial Park." Houston Chronicle, Sun., 13 Aug 1961, Sec. 2, p. 2, c. 1-8. The Age (Houston). Mon., 23 June 1873, p. 3, c. 4. ____, Thur., 14 Aug 1873, p. 3, c. 2. ____, Mon., 31 Jan 1876, p. 4, c. 2. Telegraph and Texas Register (Houston), Sat., 10 Feb 1838, p. 3, c. 1. Undated Newspaper Article, Scrapbooks, Vol. 21, Houston - Cemeteries, Texas & Local History Collection, Houston Public Library. Public Records Index to Deeds, Harris County Real Property Records, (County Clerk's Archives, Houston). Deed, Harris County Real Property Records, (County Clerk's Archives, Houston), vol. J, p. 3. Deed, Harris County Real Property Records, (County Clerk's Archives, Houston), vol. J, p. 585. Deed, Harris County Real Property Records, (County Clerk's Archives, Houston), vol. K, p. 197. Deed, Harris County Real Property Records, (County Clerk's Archives, Houston), vol. 779, p. 657-658. Deed, Harris County Real Property Records, (County Clerk's Archives, Houston), vol. 864, p. 445. Map Records. Harris County Real Property Records, (County Clerk's Archives, Houston), vol. M, p. 571. Map Records. Harris County Real Property Records, (County Clerk's Archives, Houston), vol. 15, p. 22. Ordinance, City of Houston. (City Secretary's Archives, Houston), No. 9388, 19 Dec 1928. Special thanks to Donna Beth Shaw for submitting this Narrative History for transcription by the Texas Heritage Society. Transcription by Marisa Searle. Founders Memorial Cemetery Index
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