Mays Cemetery

This pioneer burial ground served the New Salem Community. In the 1850s, the settlement had a stagecoach stop, post office and the New Salem Academy. The Mays and Swink families of Madison Co., Tennessee were among the early settlers. John Mandeville Mays owned the land where the cemetery was established, sited between Quinn Mountain and the Angelina River. Tradition states that two slaves were the first to be buried here. Two-year-old Mary S. C. Swink died in 1856, and hers is the oldest marked grave. Among the burials are veterans of military conflicts dating to the Civil War. Marble and granite headstones are prominent, and historic plantings include jonquils and crepe myrtle trees. A cemetery association formed in the 1930s. Historic Texas Cemetery-2006

Mays Cemetery is a historical marker in Henderson, Rusk County, dedicated in 2008. It is one of 72 historical markers documented in Rusk County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 184 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.9627, -94.9158 near Henderson. The nearest cataloged historic site is Cool Springs (cemetery), about 1.6 miles away. Others within a short drive include Garrett Cemetery, Casion-Heath, and Fairview.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507014499. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.