Whitney Memorial Park (1996)

The construction of Whitney Dam caused the creation of this cemetery in 1950 for the reinterment of 1260 graves from six historic cemeteries in Hill and Bosque counties. Before Lake Whitney inundated several pioneer cemeteries, all of the gravesites and monuments were moved here and placed on nearly 24 acres purchased for the Brazos Valley graves. The Captain Wilson Cemetery was originally located about six miles southwest of Whitney and named for Civil War veteran and politician J. M. C. Wilson. The earliest documented burial was from 1857. The Walling Bend Cemetery, dating from 1863, was named for Jesse Walling, who served in the Texas legislature. The two Schuler place cemeteries were located on the Bosque County side of Lake Whitney, and contained 14 graves, many of the Basye Family. The cemetery that served the Towash community was located about five miles west of Whitney. The earliest known burial was that of A. J. and J. J. Dyer in 1864. Their descendants included a member of the Texas Legislature, the first chief justice of Hill County and owners of a flour and grist mill. The Degraffenreid graveyard, located about three miles west of Whitney, was the largest of the six cemeteries moved with 685 graves.

Whitney Memorial Park is a historical marker in Whitney, Hill County, dedicated in 1996. It is one of 104 historical markers documented in Hill County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 199 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.9421, -97.3162 near Whitney. The nearest cataloged historic site is Whitney Memorial Park (cemetery), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Walling, Jesse, Walling, John C., and Old Whitney.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5217005791. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.