Sand Springs Cemetery

Originally known as the Big Spring Cemetery, this burial ground first served pioneer settlers of the surrounding rural community. It was formally set aside for burials in 1860 when Matthew Cartwright, a prominent landowner from San Augustine County, conveyed seven acres at this site to the Big Spring Baptist Church. The grounds were later enlarged through additional donations and purchases of land. Although many of the earliest gravesites here are unmarked, they include those of individuals associated with the church, the community school, which closed in 1913, and the San Springs Masonic Lodge No. 365, which was organized in 1873 and disbanded in 1892. Among the oldest marked graves is that of pioneer settler Thomas Ship (1796-1863), who served as an early trustee of the cemetery operation. In 1927 the burial ground was deeded to the Big Spring Cemetery Association by John Harris, a trustee of the church, which had disbanded two years earlier. Sometime later the association and cemetery were renamed Sand Springs. Still used, the burial ground contained over 1000 graves. The site of an annual June homecoming, it now serves as a reminder of the area's rich heritage. (1982)

Sand Springs Cemetery is a historical marker in Mineola, Wood County, dedicated in 1982. It is one of 75 historical markers documented in Wood County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 151 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.7072, -95.5156 near Mineola. The nearest cataloged historic site is Mineola Masonic Lodge No. 502, A.F. & A.M. (historical marker), about 1.9 miles away. Others within a short drive include Rose Lawn Perpetual Care, Bigham, and Ford-Greene Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5499009020. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.