Freestone County, Texas Cemeteries Harp Cemetery (African American) (a.k.a. Winkler Colored Cemetery) at Cedar Grove Baptist Church (a.k.a. Center Grove Cemetery) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Some information provided by Verna Bonner on Mar 21, 1981.] Background: Charles A. Harp (born 28 Nov 1856) secured the post office for the town named after him. The Harp community had a post office that was established July 31, 1899 by William T. Rooney, postmaster and discontinued in Aug 15, 1907 with Pinkney H. Vinson as postmaster. Mail was rerouted to Winkler afterwards. The Harp community also had a school here. In modern times, Harp is a true ghost town. Fairfield Recorder - September 8, 1899 - Winkler Locals: Lower Gourdneck has a new postoffice, which has been chirstened Harp, in honor of C. A. Harp, the patentee of the chicken coop. W. T. Roney has been appointed postmaster. Location: The community of Harp was located east of St. Elmo and Winkler. Southwest of the intersection of 416 and 488. The Harp church appears on the 1982 U.S. Geological Survey on the Roustabout Camp Quadrangle map. Harp is north of Tehuacana Creek and Little Sandy Creek, but south of Richland Creek. Directions from Winkler: Go east 6.1 miles from Winkler on FM 416. Turn right on dirt road CR 296 going south. The turn is located in front of the modern brick gates for the Tarrant County Water Control and Improvement District - Richland Chambers Lake office. Directions from Fairfield: Go north on 488. Turn left, going west on 416. Turn left on the first dirt road that turns to the left. The turn is located in front of the modern brick gates for the Tarrant County Water Control and Improvement District - Richland Chambers Lake office. Both: Go .4 miles on a winding dirt road and you will find the cemetery on your right at the curve of the road. Center Grove Baptist Church was abandoned later burned. Currently, there is nothing left of the old church building except some concrete blocks that the church rested on and some miscellaneous debris. The cemetery is located next to the old (1 acre) site of the Cedar Grove Baptist Church (started 1908). Oldest Marked Grave: Worthy Wilson 12/25/1924 GPS Coordinates: 315541 N, 0960708 W Latitude: 31.9282174 Longitude: -96.1191363 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two graves marked with stones Unmarked grave Bryant, Dan 1905- 1964 (Metal Marker) Bryant, Emma [06/04/]1863-[10/06/]1967 (Metal Marker) *D* age 104 Bryant, Floyd [04/21/]1896-[06/14/]1967 (Metal Marker) *D* Bryant, Killis 05/11/1894-05/31/1959 (only manufactured grave) *D* Bryant, Mose 10/04/1857-04/17/1939 "Gone, But Not Forgotten" *D* Cain, James 1896- 1964 [BM lists death in 1961] Grayson, Dorotha 01/18/1949-05/05/1962 *D* Herring, Miles [from a survey by Verna Bonner] Pringle, Callie [Ransom] [07/01/]1892-[01/27/]1959 *D* Riddle, C[orine] R. [Frazier] [09/04/]1865-[10/31/]1947 (Metal Marker) *D* Slaughter, Clarsey 09/29/1844-05/10/1936 "Gone, But Not Forgotten" [BM lists surname as Salter] Wilson, Emmett 03/20/1939-03/21/1939 *D* s/o Worthy & Fannie Wilson, Fannie ?-11/21/1939 Wilson, Worthy ?-12/25/1924 "Gone, But Not Forgotten" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- UNMARKED GRAVES: Bryant, Erires 04/20/1883-03/12/1948 *D* Rooney, Oliver 07/09/1903-08/02/1904 *O* [s/o Robert Jr.; died at Harp] Salter, Green ?-11/08/1905 *O* ============================================================= LEGEND FOR CEMETERY LISTINGS: *O* = Obituary listed elsewhere on this site *D* = Death Certificate listed elsewhere on this site *B* = Biography listed elsewhere on this site *P* = Photo of tombstone on this website *S* = Social Security death index listed elsewhere on this site *C* = Calculated date based on death date - age given in years and months and days. y = year; mo or m = month; d = day(s); h/o = husband of; h1/o = first husband of; h2/o = second husband of w/o = wife of; w1/o = first wife of; w2/o = second wife of m = married to d/o = daughter of; s/o = daughter of ? = unknown birth date or death date (based on position) x2 marker = single marker for two graves, typically married couples TX = Texas; Cav = Cavalry CO = Company; Reg = Regiment; WWI = World War I; WWII = World War II; CSA = soldier in the Confederate States of America f.h. = funeral home marker h&f = husband & father