Historical MarkerWashington Cemetery
Giddings · Lee County · Dedicated 2015 · THC Atlas #5507018232
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
Marker Inscription
The land for Washington Cemetery and Bethany Colored Church was donated to former slave Charlie Washington by Henry Wenke Sr. after the Civil War. In addition to a Methodist Church and a Baptist Church, the cemetery and adjoining land was used by the growing Center Union Community. This community grew from former slaves seeking to purchase farmland. The earliest known burial was in 1882, while the last person was buried here in 1954. Much of the cemetery and many headstones were damaged by a nearby landowner’s development in 1975. More recently, through the Washington Cemetery project this sacred ground has been preserved and protected.
About this site
Washington Cemetery is a historical marker in Giddings, Lee County, dedicated in 2015. It is one of 47 historical markers documented in Lee County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 110 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 30.0814, -97.0232 near Giddings. The nearest cataloged historic site is Lawhon Springs Cemetery (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Serbin, St. Paul Lutheran Church, and St. Paul Lutheran Church.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507018232. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
