Grimes County Bethel Cemetery

During the Republic of Texas era, settlers in this area came together to form the Bethel community. In 1843, a visitor died of smallpox and was buried at this site, which became Bethel Cemetery. Among those buried here is Sarah Bradley Dodson, known as the “Betsy Ross of Texas.” Part of an “Old 300” family from Stephen F. Austin’s first Texas colony, Dodson created a Lone Star flag in 1835 to send with her husband, Archelaus, during the Texas Revolution. The flag was one of two that flew over Washington-on-the-Brazos at the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence on march 2, 1836. In 1852, four years after his wife died of pneumonia, Archelaus Dodson gave this burial ground to trustees of Bethel Presbyterian Church, who built a chapel next to the cemetery circa 1844. in 1904, trustees of the burial ground opened an adjacent section for local African Americans. That section of Bethel is sometimes known as Salem Cemetery. Today, a link to a community long gone, Old Bethel Cemetery is the final resting place for generations of Texas pioneers and area residents. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2005

Grimes County Bethel Cemetery is a historical marker in Bedias, Grimes County, dedicated in 2005. It is one of 73 historical markers documented in Grimes County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 213 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.8427, -96.0004 near Bedias. The nearest cataloged historic site is Dodson, Sarah Bradley (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Dodson, Sarah Bradley, Phillips Family, and Pankey-Shiloh.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507013475. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.