Renken Cemetery

German native Henry Renken created this cemetery in 1876 upon the death of his wife, Lissette (Kueck) Renken. She was buried on property owned by Gerhard Ihnken that Renken had sold to him in 1874. Renken was an active contributor to the Castroville Community, where he was a member of the Masonic Lodge and served as a city alderman and as mayor. Although he later married Helene Thieu Borchers, he was buried here, next to his first wife, when he died in 1885. Records show that the Renkens’ daughter, Louisa Renken Tschirhart, was also buried at the site, although no grave marker remains. The property was sold to the city of Castroville by a later owner in 1968, and Castroville Regional Park now surrounds the diminutive burial ground.

Renken Cemetery is a historical marker in Castroville, Medina County, dedicated in 2009. It is one of 56 historical markers documented in Medina County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 112 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.3448, -98.8823 near Castroville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Inhken Family Cemetery (cemetery), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include St. Louis Cemetery, Old Lutheran Cemetery, and St. Louis Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507015763. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.