Prairie Lea Cemetery (2007)

Graves in this historic cemetery date from the 1840s, although trustees of the Brenham Cemetery Association did not formally set aside the property until 1871. It came into operation following concern the earlier Masonic Cemetery would soon reach capacity, given the large number of yellow fever victims in the late 1860s. Trustees purchased the initial 22.77 acres here from J.D. Giddings. Among those buried in Prairie Lea are veterans of military conflicts dating to the Texas Revolution. Notable gravesites include those of brothers Jabez Demming and Dewitt Clinton Giddings, prominent local lawyers, bankers, railroad promoters and politicians. Influential religious leaders buried here are Carl A. Urbantke, an Austrian-born Methodist minister instrumental in formation of what became Blinn College, and Robert Alexander, also a Methodist preacher, and a founder of Georgetown's Texas University, forerunner of Southwestern University. Others interred here are Thomas B. Dwyer, a native of Ireland who aided Catholic missionaries, helped establish St. Mary's Parish and started a reading room and Free Library Association that led to the Brenham Public Library; powerful U.S. Congressman James Paul Buchanan, for whom Lake Buchanan on the Colorado River in central Texas is named; and Confederate General John David McAdoo, a Texas Supreme Court Justice. Interesting features in Prairie Lea Cemetery include tombstones with German inscriptions, reflecting the area's early heritage, and Rest Chapel, built in 1897. Both contribute to the site's significance as a valued historical landmark. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2006

Prairie Lea Cemetery is a historical marker in Brenham, Washington County, dedicated in 2007. It is one of 155 historical markers documented in Washington County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 355 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.1566, -96.4083 near Brenham. The nearest cataloged historic site is Baine, Moses (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Petty, George Washington, B'Nai Abraham, and Prairie Lea Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507013902. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.