Fairview Cemetery

Originally the Howeth Family Cemetery, this site traces its history to 1854, when a tornado struck the Howeth family cabin near Gainesville. First buried here were Thomas and Louisa Howeth, young children of William and Harriet Bell Howeth. William Howeth deeded the ten-acre cemetery to Cooke county in 1868. In 1878 the Cooke County commissioners turned over the site to the city of Gainesville in a 999-year lease. A city ordinance reserved a section for freedmen. The cemetery's name was changed in 1897 to East Hill, and in 1904 the name was changed again to Fairview. A separate Jewish Cemetery adjoined this site from 1881 until 1964 when the two graveyards were combined. Among the estimated 18,000 graves are those of Civil War veterans; Preston Conlee, a San Jacinto Battle veteran and Bastrop County sheriff who lies in an unmarked grave; 34 victims of the 1918 influenza epidemic; Bob Scott, ex-slave and centenarian; and former U.S. Senator Joseph Weldon Bailey. A chapel and Sexton's office, designed by Dallas architect Will Scott Richter, was constructed in 1938 at a cost of $6,296. The arched gate dates to 1964. This Victorian-era cemetery continues to serve the city. (1997)

Fairview Cemetery is a historical marker in Gainesville, Cooke County, dedicated in 1997. It is one of 44 historical markers documented in Cooke County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 56 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.6316, -97.1259 near Gainesville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Davis, William Owen (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include J. D. "Ikard" Sugg, G. H. Ragsdale, and Hebrew Congregation Emanuel of Gainesville Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5097006253. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.