Tamina project gets boost
Montgomery County commissioner supports group’s effort to address drainage problems and restore historic cemetery
A once completely submerged cemetery nestled in a post-Civil War Freedmen’s settlement near The Woodlands has started to drain, so now phase one of the restoration of Tamina’s Sweet Rest Cemetery can begin.
“This is just wrong what is happening out here,” Montgomery County Precinct 4 Commissioner James Metts said Thursday during a tour of the overgrown graveyard. “No one is pointing fingers here at anyone as to why this has happened, but it is time to do something about it. It is drier now and I want to use whatever power that I have as a commissioner to help this situation, and I think that we can do that.”
Elijah Easley, chairman and event coordinator for the Nonprofit Tamina Cemetery and Community Development Corp., agreed.
Freedom colony
The board is close to completing the process to install two historical markers for both the cemetery and the community, which Easley hopes to unveil soon.
They have connected with Andrea Roberts of Texas A&M University, who researches chronic flooding in African American cemeteries, including the Sweet Rest Cemetery, one of 557 freedom colonies established throughout the state between 1865-1920. Sweet Rest Cemetery holds nearly 260 tombstones dating back to the 1870s.
The burial ground holds many former slaves, Native Americans, military veterans, police officers and several residents of the Tamina community, including the colony’s founders.
Flooding issues
Easley said the cemetery’s last burial was held in 2005. Since around then, due to the impact of chronic drainage and flood issues including during Hurricane Harvey, families have been hindered by sometimes nearly 2 feet of murky water from paying respects or being able to be buried with their loved ones.
By May 2020, the board had worked with engineer firms, developing partnerships to raise money to get the water removed and a strategic plan for improvement. Montgomery County commissioners still need to help address the issue.
A Memorial Day tribute was held there to remember those buried in the cemetery, but not a single grave was visible during the tribute because of worsening conditions and high standing water.
While the water has began to drain during the drier time of year, the grave of Amy Terry’s Native American great-grandfather, Rivers Terry, who was buried in the cemetery in 1981, remains inaccessible.
“Every time I come down here, I am very overwhelmed with sadness,” Terry said after digging through the growth to read other headstones. “You kind of prepare yourself because you know what it is going to look like and it’s just kind of in your face. But today, even though it looks like it is in really bad condition to anyone who has not seen it before — I am very hopeful and motivated that this is actually underway.
“I am very grateful for the county stepping up,” Terry said. “But to also see that miraculously that some water has already drained, and we saw some headstones, it’s just great to see and great to know that the process is underway.”
Next steps
Mett’s and Easley said that it’s nearly impossible to provide maintenance until the water’s removal. Metts plans to look at county funds that could be used to help the historical cemetery. However, he was not able to provide a dollar amount and said he would have to review the limits with the county attorney.
He and Easley hope the drier conditions will provide an opportunity to act with the next steps in the process, which includes completing a survey to establish the exact location of the property lines.
Then, the hope is that someone with ground penetrating radar can locate any unmarked graves. Easley said the cemetery has been assessed, however, more funds are needed for the radar.
“We will prayerfully be able to move forward with ground penetrating radar, the cataloging of the graves, the removal of the final water that is in the cemetery and securing the grounds,” Easley said. “That is what I pray will come out of this.”