Concrete Cemetery

Encompassing 6.814 acres of land, Concrete Cemetery includes within its borders burials for both Anglo and Hispanic citizens of the La Vernia and New Berlin communities. The area surrounding the cemetery was called Concrete (formerly Bethesda). Local farmer and rancher James Henry Newton, who brought his family here from Mississippi about 1851-52, designated a portion of his property as a burial ground when his brother Joel died in 1856. The oldest recorded burial, that of Maria Madden Dial in 1855, indicates previous use as a graveyard. The community and cemetery were named for an 1858 concrete building used as a school, church and Masonic Hall. James Newton officially deeded a two-acre tract of land here in 1875 for use as a community cemetery. The first documented burial in the adjacent Hispanic section is that of Paulita Salazar in 1913. Additional donations of land were made by the descendants of J. G. and Jennie Scull. The graveyard contains a diverse collection of gravestones reflecting the historic communities it serves. Among the more than 800 burials here are pioneer settlers, infants and children, veterans and members of fraternal organizations. The site continues to serve the area. (1997)

Concrete Cemetery is a historical marker in La Vernia, Guadalupe County, dedicated in 1997. It is one of 75 historical markers documented in Guadalupe County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 249 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.3806, -98.0978 near La Vernia. The nearest cataloged historic site is Rector, Claiborne (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Deicke - Schievelbein/Zunker, Post Oak Community Cemetery, and Doege Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5187011923. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.