cemetery; Latin American topics; Mexican immigrants/immigration
Marker Year
1991
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
No
Marker Location
at Clymer
Private Property
No
Marker Condition
In Situ
Marker Size
27" x 42"
Marker Text
El Camposanto de Cemento Grande De La Compania Trinity Portland The Southwestern States Portland Cement Company was established in this area in 1909. Many of the company's employees were Mexican immigrants who came to this area to escape the Mexican Revolution. The company name was changed after Trinity Portland Cement Company purchased the business in 1915. Two company villages were built near the cement plant, one for Anglos and one for Mexican laborers. About 1918, the company donated land for use as a community cemetery by its Hispanic employees. It is believed that the first people buried in the cemetery were victims of the 1918 influenza epidemic, including many children. A number of cement company workers and their family members were interred here, and the cemetery was cared for by residents of the company town. The last burial occurred when Eladio R. Martinez (1921 - 1945) was reinterred here. A native of the village, he was killed in action in the Pacific during World War II, and was originally buried in the Philippines. Although the company housing was removed from this area by 1959, this cemetery remains as a reminder of the village which once occupied this area, sometimes referred to as Eagle Ford, Texas.