Powder Mill Cemetery

Located on part of a site once occupied by a Confederate gun powder factory, this cemetery originated with the burial of slaves on the Powder Mill acreage. After the factory was destroyed in 1865 with the collapse of the Confederacy, the acreage fell into private ownership. One of the landowners, mortician M. M. Rains, began recording the burials here in 1880; however, the earliest known marked grave, that of Millie Abner, is dated 1878. Her husband, David Abner, a former Harrison County Treasurer and member of the 14th Texas Legislature, is also buried here. Old Powder Mill Cemetery is important to the history of Harrison County as the burial ground of many of the leaders of Marshall's Black community who played important roles in local religious, social, business, and political affairs. among those interred here are educators H.B. Pemberton, J.R.E. Lee, and Frederick William Gross; war veterans; businessmen and women; and professionals. Also located in Old Powder Mill Cemetery are the graves of many former members and founders of the Colored (now Bethesda) Baptist Church, including William Massey, a Confederate soldier who served as first pastor. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986

Powder Mill Cemetery is a historical marker in Marshall, Harrison County, dedicated in 1986. It is one of 102 historical markers documented in Harrison County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 257 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.5680, -94.3737 near Marshall. The nearest cataloged historic site is Marshall Powder Mill (historical marker), about 0.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Marshall Hall, Van Zandt Hill, and Matthew Duncan Ector.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5203010208. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.