Smyrna Cemetery

Pioneer physician John Chadd received a land grant in 1845 made by Texas Governor J. Pinckney Henderson. Dr. Chadd donated land to the community in 1846 to be used for a church, school, and cemetery and chose the community's biblical name of Smyrna. This cemetery dates to 1850 when John Glover was buried in an unmarked grave. The earliest headstone is that of Susana Kirkpatrick in 1859. Dr. Chadd deeded two acres of land in 1874 to the Smyrna Methodist Episcopal Church. The cemetery has been closely associated with the church through the years. Tombstones mark the graves of Dr. Chadd and his wife Emily Jane Taylor, and other early settlers who lived and died in the area. Among the more than 675 graves are those of veterans of conflicts from the Civil War to the Vietnam War. The Smyrna Cemetery Association was established as a non-profit organization in 1954 by the people of the Smyrna community. Additional land was donated to the cemetery in 1962 and in 1974. Annual meetings have been held at the cemetery since 1946. The site continues to serve Smyrna and many surrounding communities. (1997)

Smyrna Cemetery is a historical marker in Harleton, Harrison County, dedicated in 1997. It is one of 103 historical markers documented in Harrison County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 270 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.7273, -94.6303 near Harleton. The nearest cataloged historic site is New Prospect (cemetery), about 1.4 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bluff Springs, Josephine Davidson Memorial Chapel, and Eagle Creek.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5203010214. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.