Harlingen Cemetery

The Harlingen Cemetery came into legal existence in 1912. In that year, Lon C. Hill (1862-1935), founder of the city of Harlingen and president of the Harlingen land and water company, sold 7.6 acres of land at this site for one dollar to trustees of the Harlingen Cemetery. Burials, however, had taken place here since the death of Robert Keen Weems (1893-1909), a teenager who had come to this area in a freight car from Houston. Although weems was the first to be buried at the graveyard, others who had died earlier, such as George Dorough (1868-1904), were reinterred here. This cemetery originally was divided into sections for babies, blacks, Anglos and Hispanics. These divisions have not been utilized since the cemetery was deeded to the city of Harlingen in 1947, but tombstone designs and grave decorations still reflect diverse cultural influences. Leaders of the community that have been buried here include James Lockhart (d. 1947), the town's first postmaster; Horace Johnson (d. 1928), a Cameron County deputy sheriff; and David L. Hinojosa (d. 1932), a Texas Ranger. The cemetery serves as a reminder of the surrounding community's rich heritage. (1984, 1997)

Harlingen Cemetery is a historical marker in Harlingen, Cameron County, dedicated in 1997. It is one of 116 historical markers documented in Cameron County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 194 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 26.1793, -97.7015 near Harlingen. The nearest cataloged historic site is City of Harlingen (historical marker), about 0.8 miles away. Others within a short drive include Planters State Bank, First United Methodist Church of Harlingen, and Santos Lozano Building.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5061002381. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.