Robertson County
Texas

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Tatnell Cemetery

Hearne, TX

TATNELL, HOLLIE, 1859 - 1911, "Come Ye Blessed: To the memory of our mother, Mrs. Georgia E. Carter, Washington, DC & Andrew L. Hunter, M.D., Marlin, TX"

Tatnell Grave In The Middle Of The Road

reprinted from: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com

Texas is rife with bizarre roadside attractions, but this just might be the strangest of them all. A cemetery in Hearne contains only one single grave, and the story behind it is one of slavery, family, and unconditional love. Check it out:

Hearne's Colored Graveyard served as a cemetery for slaves until its closure in 1912. When real estate developers purchased the land some 35 years later, families were forced to exhume and rebury their loved ones.

If this lone oak tree looks a bit out of place, that's because it is. Only Tatnell's remains are buried here, in the exact spot where the cemetery was once located.

Opposing the encroachment were Hollie Tatnell's children, who refused to uproot their mother from her final resting place. The site now bears her name as a tribute to the town's African-American community.

The cemetery now bears her name as a tribute to the town's African-American community. Land developers built a median around the grave to continue making headway on the residential neighborhood that now surrounds it. In 2007, the Texas Historical Commission officially denoted the site as a Historic Texas Cemetery.

Death Certificates

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Page Modified: 25 March 2025

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