San Felipe de Austin Cemetery
historical marker
The San Felipe de Austin Cemetery is a historical marker in San Felipe, Austin County, Texas, erected in 1993. San Felipe de Austin was established in 1824 as the community and administrative headquarters of Stephen F. Austin's original Anglo American colony. Stephen F. Austin and Baron Felipe Enrique Neri de Bastrop chose the town site. The 1824 Mexican charter for San Felipe de Austin designated this location for cemetery use. The earliest documented burial is Elisebath J. Eidman in 1846, though earlier interments are suggested. The cemetery includes a fenced Anglo section with about 370 grave sites. An adjacent, separately fenced, African American section holds an estimated 200 grave sites, including at least three known former slaves. The town maintained the cemetery from 1824 until 1966. Since then, two community cemetery associations have managed its ownership and care. Many early pioneers and leaders of the area are buried here. This site offers a direct link to the foundational history of Anglo American settlement in Texas.