Cypress Church and Cemetery

On August 28, 1851, the Associated Cypress Baptist Church was founded. The congregation constructed a meetinghouse on this property which belonged to Spencer Shearer. In 1862 he deeded the six-acre site to the congregation. the site also served as a burial ground. The bell tower was used to call neighbors to help with grave digging. One of the earliest marked headstones is that of Jane Willis Huggins (1837-1854), daughter of Jonathan and Mary Huggins. According to local tradition, Confederate troops trained on the church grounds during the civil war, 1861-1865. The fellowship joined the Red River Baptist Association and was a charter member of Rehoboth Association of the Southern baptist Convention. the present sanctuary replaced the original in 1953. The next year another acre was donated to be used as needed for interments. although plots are not sold, perpetual care is financed by donations at the memorial services each year in June. The Cypress Cemetery Foundation was organized in 1968. Members of the church helped found the Mt. Zion Church which later began the First Baptist Church in Winnsboro. Descendants of many of the early founders are active in the congregation. (1979)

Cypress Church and Cemetery is a historical marker in Mt. Vernon, Franklin County, dedicated in 1979. It is one of 16 historical markers documented in Franklin County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 40 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.0499, -95.2780 near Mt. Vernon. The nearest cataloged historic site is Liberty Cemetery (cemetery), about 2.9 miles away. Others within a short drive include Purley Cemetery, Pleasant Hill Methodist Church and Cemetery, and Hastings, Capt. F. Marion.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5159009837. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.