Oak Rest Cemetery

The Rev. Hugh Wilson (1794-1868) organized Prospect Presbyterian Church at this site in February 1839. Located on land included in a Mexican land grant to James F. and Emily Perry, it was the second Presbyterian church founded in Texas. Worship services were conducted in a log schoolhouse where in 1840 the first Presbytery (Brazos) of Texas was organized. The congregation's second pastor, The Rev. James Weston Miller (1815-1888), founded Live Oak Female Seminary in 1853, and the church building housed some school classes. Under Miller's direction a foundation was laid here for a new sanctuary prior to the Civil War. The foundation stones, though never used, still exist. A new building was erected south of here near the seminary in 1872. The church disbanded in 1928 and its members transferred to Brenham Presbyterian Church. The 1872 building was dismantled in 1956. Among those interred in Oak Rest Cemetery are many pioneer members of Prospect Presbyterian Church, including the Miller family, and veterans of the Texas Revolution and the Civil War. Along with the nearby site of the Live Oak Female Seminary, the cemetery and church foundation stones serve as reminders of the area's pioneer heritage.

Oak Rest Cemetery is a historical marker in Brenham, Washington County, dedicated in 1994. It is one of 156 historical markers documented in Washington County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 368 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.2956, -96.4460 near Brenham. The nearest cataloged historic site is Live Oak Female Seminary (historical marker), about 0.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Old Gay Hill Cemetery at Gay Hill Baptist Church (HTC), Red House, and Holly Oaks.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5477008375. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.