Sand Hill recognized as a historic cemetery

Sand Hill Cemetery, near Simms, Texas, is a Historic Texas Cemetery.

The distinction means the cemetery has been legally recorded through the THC’s Cemetery Preservation Program, an important step in ensuring its preservation.

This designation is reserved for cemeteries that are at least 50 years old and documented through the Historic Texas Cemetery designation process to record their historic association and significance. A dedication ceremony to commemorate this historic designation will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Sand Hill Cemetery Pavilion on Farm to Market Road 561 Simms.

Speakers for the event include State Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, and Bowie County Judge James Carlow.

For more information on the dedication at Sand Hill on Tuesday, contact Dwight Byrd of Sand Hill Cemetery Association 903-277-4181.

“This designation is a tool that will increase public awareness of these important cultural resources,” said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the THC. “Knowledge and education are among the best ways to guarantee the preservation of a historic cemetery.”

Cemeteries hold valuable historic information and they are often the last reminders of early settlements’ historical events, religious beliefs, lifestyles and genealogy.

While the Historic Texas Cemetery designation encourages cemetery preservation, it cannot guarantee that a historic cemetery will avoid destruction. Threats to historic cem-

eteries include urban expansion and development, vandalism, grazing animals and long-term deterioration from weather and uncontrolled vegetation.

The THC developed the Historic Texas Cemetery designation to address the destruction of historic cemeteries and the illegal removal of cemetery fixtures. Any individual or organization is eligible to submit an application for this designation.

For additional information regarding Historic Texas Cemetery designation, or to receive an application, contact the THC’s History Programs Division at 512-463-5853 or history@thc.state.tx.us. To find out more about historic cemetery preservation visit the THC’s web site at www. thc.state.tx.us.

Staff photo by Joshua Boucher Dwight Byrd lifts part of a cracked gravestone to show the inscription at the Sand Hill Cemetery near Simms, Texas. Over time, gravestones can settle and crack.