Pioneer Cemetery

Tradition holds that Captain A.M. Curry suggested the name for the Pioneer community, established in 1883. Bill Smith became its first postmaster in 1885. The burial here of Mrs. S.A. Briggs (believed to be Catherine P. Owsley Briggs) in 1879, however, predates the community development. Landowners William L. and Mary Ann (Hampton) Browning formally deeded the site in 1906 for use as a burial ground for the largely agricultural settlement. An oil boom in the 1920s brought thousands of new residents. By the 1940s, oil production waned, and the railroad, as well as the majority of settlers and businesses, left the area. Over the years, additional land donations have enlarged the cemetery. Pioneer Quilting Club members served as long-time caretakers, raising funds for cleaning and for a war memorial placed in 1948 to commemorate area soldiers killed in World Wars I and II. Among the others buried here is Catherine Martin O'Neal Lovett, a Cherokee survivor of the Trail of Tears march of 1838. Today, an association maintains the burial ground, which is a link to the early settlement of Pioneer. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004

Pioneer Cemetery is a historical marker in Cross Plains, Eastland County, dedicated in 2004. It is one of 46 historical markers documented in Eastland County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 60 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.0997, -99.0844 near Cross Plains. The nearest cataloged historic site is Liberty Cemetery (cemetery), about 3.6 miles away. Others within a short drive include Lewis Family, Rising Star, and First United Methodist Church of Rising Star.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507013426. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.