Old Burr Cemetery - Vernon Parish Sumitted by Jane P. McManus ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Directions:Take LA Hwy. 8 West from Leesville toward the Texas border. Just before reaching the community of Burr Ferry, turn right (North) and continue for 1.9 miles. Turn left onto next unimproved road marked by large cemetery sign. Continue approximately .8 miles to the Old Burr Cemetery that is located in the woods on the right side of the road. A small sign in the top of a tall tree marks the spot from the road; however, the cemetery is hard to see from the road. The outer perimeter fence surrounding the cemetery has collapsed [the iron fence was built by Rogers Fence Company 22 Nov 1881], but two smaller fenced enclosures are still standing. For additional information on the cemetery, the community of Burr Ferry, and the Burr family, refer to the history of Burr Ferry written by James Burnett of DeRidder while he attended LA Tech [printed below]. The cemetery is abandoned, and weeds and tall grass cover the entire area. Burials read by Jane P. McManus, October 1990. Site of Old Burr Ferry at Highway Bridge (1) - [This was] an important communications point between Texas and the United States, especially during settlement era of early 1800's. Named for Dr. Timothy Burr (1790-1852), second cousin of United States Vice President Aaron Burr. Dr. Burr is said to have come to the Sabine area in 1809, but moved his family down from Ohio in 1820's. He practiced medicine from home plantation on the Sabine. Family operated the ferry in the 1840's. Town of Burr's Ferry grew up on the east side of the River. This crossing (earlier called Hickman's Ferry) gave pioneers the means to enter Texas with their stock, household goods, and other property. It was one of four main points of entry on Texas-Louisiana border. Beside the famous El Camino Real (Kings Highway) from Natchitoches, other entry roads were the "Upper" Route, from present-day Shreveport; "Lower" Route, from Opelousas; and this one, called the old Beef Trail because it was sed to drive thousands of cattle from Texas to Alexandria for shipment to such cities as New Orleans, as early as the 1820's and 1830's. This crossing was considered strategic in 1860's, during the Civil War. Breast works were built on the East Bank and timber cleared here on the West Bank, in effort to guard against Federal invaders. HISTORY OF BURR FERRY (2) Having trouble with his health, Dr. Timothy Burr, along with a blacksmith, a carpenter, and a farmer, set sail from Vernon, Ohio, for a better climate. Each man had the necessary equipment to carry on his trade when he settled. The year was 1809 and the journey was no doubt breathtaking as they traveled down the Ohio River, the Mississippi River and on into the Gulf of Mexico. Still in doubt as to where to settle, they continued sailing west on into the Gulf until they reached the mouth of the Sabine River. Sailing up the Sabine, then narrow and deep, they were amazed at the huge virgin pines, the abundance of game, and the Attakapas Indians. Coming around a bend in the river, they saw the mouth of the Pearl Creek. At this point the water was of a purified clearness and the trees appeared to be of much greater size than any they had previously seen. Here Dr. Timothy Burr decided to settle, believing that the area had a pleasant climate due to the water's clearness and the size of the pines. Unloading, they began to cut down pines and build a log village. Since the trees were so large, no underbrush hindered their labor, allowing them to settle in a short time. After they were settled they soon discovered their need for a gristmill, a sawmill, and a cotton gin. Upon their exploration of Pearl Creek, they discovered three waterfalls, utilizing the waterpower. Something was still missing . . . wives. So they loaded up their boat and set sail back to Ohio in search of wives. Since Dr. Timothy Burr was the leader of the group, a look at his past is revealing. His grandfather was Daniel Burr of Fairfield, Connecticut, and a graduate of Yale University. One of Daniel's sons, Aaron, Sr., was among the founders of Princeton University and the father of Aaron Burr, Jr. His wife was Jonathan Edward's daughter. Today no one seems to know who Dr. Timothy's father was, but he and Aaron Burr, Jr., were first cousins. Other than this, little is known of Dr. Timothy's family. When he arrived in Ohio, he courted and married, and he and his wife had a son, Gilman Bryant Burr. Timothy's wife later died and he married his first wife's sister. Planning to return to his new home in Louisiana, he was disappointed because his wife would not leave. Her reasons were the baby's age and the fact that she did not cherish the idea of living in the Louisiana wilderness. But after a year, all the new families got together and began the trip back to Louisiana. Upon arriving at their new home, the women refused to stay because of the isolation, the Indians, and the "weird" noises heard in the day as well as in the night. Getting their goods together, the women left for Ohio until the men could provide them with a more substantial abode. While the women were away, the men built a ferry to the Texas side, known as Burr's Ferry shortened today to Burr Ferry. The chain, which held the ferry's cable on the Louisiana side, can still be seen today, as well as the slope of the trail down to the river. The ferry was a flat boat with handrails fastened to a cable that was stretched across the river. On one bank was a pulley that held the cable tight. If a boat came down the river, they would let the pulley go and the cable would sink to the bottom of the river, allowing the boat to pass. Then the cable was rolled back up and ferry traffic was resumed. It was manipulated by hand. With the help of slaves, the men built a two and a half story house for Dr. Timothy and his wife. The men made the long trip back to Ohio to persuade their wives to return to Louisiana. With the families settled at Burr's Ferry it became apparent that a Church was needed, and so the nondenominational Clementine Church was built about 100 yards from the Burr house. Today, where the Burr house stood is a huge red oak. Near it is the lonely graveyard of the Clementine Church surrounded by the deep forest of pines. In the cemetery are 10 graves. (3) All the graves are inside an iron fence, built by Rogers Fence Co. on November 22, 1881. The old road is still visible and on occasion is used as a logging road. The road looks like a tunnel through the wilderness of huge old pines. Not long after the Burrs were settled, the John M. Liles family came down from North Carolina. Along with the Liles came the Jonathan D. Cains. It is also said that a family of Winfrees settled near Burr Ferry in 1805, four years before Dr. Timothy arrived. Where they settled is in doubt, but according to Mark Liles, his grandfather crossed the Mississippi river by ferry as a single man and married a Winfree girl at Burr Ferry. It is thought that many of the Burrs are buried at Plunkaway Cemetery where many of the Liles family are buried. Today in the cemetery are many unknown graves of early settlers. Legend has it that a man by the name of Plunkaway came through Burr Ferry, where he became ill. Looking at a huge oak tree nearby, he told the people he was with to, "Plunk me away over there under that tree." Today, the same oak tree centers the cemetery, with rows of unknown graves around it. (4) Families began to move into the area and plant cotton on the rich lands. With large number of people going west, a road had been built from Natchitoches to Burr Ferry. Since the area was under dispute between the United States and Spain, outlaws were abundant and it is said that Dr. Timothy would care for the bad as well as for the good. Needing a market for their cotton, John M. Liles got an ox-cart and hauled the community's cotton to Boyce and Alexandria where he bought the goods they needed for the next year in exchange for the cotton. The trip took three weeks and he always brought back enough goods to trade with the Indians when he returned. Today one still hears stories concerning trading goods for the Indians' gold. No one knows where the Indians got the gold. However, it is believed that Santa Anna had sent a soldier to Burr Ferry to pay people to fight with him: instead, he is said to have been captured by the Indians, who relieved him of his gold. The Indian trade continued through the Civil War. During the Civil War, a group of Confederate trenches and breast works was constructed at Burr's Ferry under the direction of H. W. Scoggins, Sr. These breast works are visible today, marked by a picnic table donated by the Daughters of the Confederacy. No battle was ever fought here, but Burr's Ferry was ready to fight the enemy if and when he appeared. After the Civil War, John Liles had earned enough money to buy a steamboat to travel up and down the Sabine River from Logansport to the Gulf of Mexico. The first steamboat was "the New Era." Following this came the "Ernie" owned by Captain G. B. Burr in 1875, the "Lamar" in 1886 owned by Captain Walter Caraway, the "Ada" owned by Captain Davis, and a tug called "Fannie" owned by Captain Lou Bettis, and a stave boat called "Godwin" owned by Captain Godwin in 1911. Captain John Liles owned the "Cura," 1888, the "Bertha," 1876, and the "Extra," 1876. The "Natchesbelle" was owned by Captain S. G. Allardyce and John Liles. They [the boats] were named by the owners. There was a great deal of friction between the steamboats and the railroad, and on two occasions one side accused the other of burning property. Due to the abundance of virgin pines in the area, the lumber industry created many boomtowns and generated much activity, using the practice of clear cutting; the vast forests were deleted in a matter of a few decades. With all the trees cut out, the land around Burr Ferry changed. Without industry and its people, farming slowed and soon a new growth of pines began to take over the fields. Along with the new pines came hardwood trees and underbrush. Today much of the land is owned by Kirby Lumber Company, Lutcher-Moore Lumber Company, and Nona-Mills Lumber Company. After a while, the oaks were shipped by train to Deridder to be made into oak flooring at the International Paper Company Flooring Mill (formerly owned by Long-Bell Lumber Company). Throughout the woods today are old train beds going in many directions. In the early 1900's, the trees were cut down by one crew of men and floated down the Sabine River by another crew. It took three weeks to complete the journey. Today, the Sabine River is wide and shallow, a result of the erosion of the soil. Now pines are being planted daily and the lumber companies are in the process of eliminating the oak trees around Burr Ferry. One stands as a reminder of days past, the Big Burr Oak. The railroads and the steamboats brought many changes to Bur Ferry, and traces of these two giants of transportation still remain. Two steamboats still remain. Two steamboats lie beneath the swirling waters of the Sabine between Burr Ferry and Orange, Texas. The steamboats carried 300 to 400 bales of cotton to East Hamilton, Logansport, Sabinetown, and Orange at a price of $1.50 per bale. The records state the main engineer had to have a license and the crew could drink whiskey only when the boat docked to load and unload. Thus, the crew would work fast and hard, so they could leave the boat for refreshment. John Liles had a store and a meat house as did Dr. Timothy Burr. Today at Kleins Grocery one can still make out an old sign on which is faintly printed "Burr Ferry Saloon." (1) Historical marker erected in 1968 by State Historical Survey Committee of Texas, located on the Texas side of the Sabine River from Burr Ferry on LA Hwy. 8. (2) James B. Burnett, Jr., son of M&M James B. Burnett, Sr., of Deridder, LA is the author of this history of Burr Ferry. It was written [date unknown] as a research project for an upper division history class at LA Tech, where young Burnett was a sophomore student. Mr. Burnett shared the unique historical paper & pictures with the Beauregard News [DeRidder] readers, which was to be published in four installments. (3) The list of burials copied by James B. Burnett, Jr. are the same as those that are printed herein, therefore, they will not be repeated here. (4) See Plunkaway Cemetery listing. [Small fenced enclosure]: Burr, Charles B. - 1 May 1836/7 Nov 1878 [Masonic Emblem] Burr, Ernast [Sic] A. - 9 Nov 1877, 9 yrs 9 mos Burr, Lenora E. - died 9 Mar 1873, 1 yr 8 mos 5 das Burr, Theodosia E. - died 23 Feb 1873, 1 yr 7 mos 9 das [double stone] - Children of G. B. & H. S. Burr