Details for Old City Cemetery (Old Livingston Cemetery)

Historical Marker — Atlas Number 5373012558

Data

Marker Number 12558
Atlas Number 5373012558
Marker Title Old City Cemetery (Old Livingston Cemetery)
Index Entry Livingston Cemetery, Old
Address 300 E. Polk St.
City Livingston
County Polk
UTM Zone 15
UTM Easting 315174
UTM Northing 3399255
Subject Codes cemetery; pioneers
Marker Year 2001
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark No
Marker Location 300 E. Church @ corner of Houston St., Livingston
Private Property No
Marker Condition In Situ
Marker Size 27" x 42"
Marker Text This historic graveyard began in 1840 with the burial of four-year-old Josephus Choate, son of Moses Livingston Choate (1794-1867) and Ursula Choate (1807-c. 1880). Early pioneers from Kentucky, the Choates moved to Texas and received a league of land while this area was still a part of Mexico. On his land, Choate established a town he called Springfield. After Polk County was created in 1846, Moses Choate donated 100 acres of his land near Springfield for the county seat and changed the name of the town to Livingston. A one and one-half block section of land, which included the Choate family cemetery, was set aside for religious and educational purposes. A Masonic lodge (with a schoolroom) and a church were built on that property in the 1850s; after those institutions relocated later in the century, the cemetery expanded over this entire block. By 1906, burials in the Old City Cemetery had almost ceased, and the last interment took place in 1940. At least 25 Republic of Texas citizens, two Mexican War veterans and 30 Civil War veterans are buried here. A few memorial markers stand to honor persons interred elsewhere. There are 167 visible tombstones and at least 65 unmarked burials, with more than 70 grave sites destroyed over the years. As a reminder of the early heritage of Texas and Polk County, the Old City Cemetery is an important cultural resource for the community. (2001)

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