Endangered Peery Cemetery in Cooke County, Texas

Bettie's tombstone is the most intact of all the relics in the Peery Cemetery of Cooke County, Texas.

The Peery Cemetery in Cooke County, Texas is endangered by the development of a 7-Eleven.

In January of this year, I visited the Peery Cemetery in Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas. It's not easy to access as it's surrounded by private land in a prime location at the southeast corner of US 82 and Interstate 35. But, as we all should know, the state of Texas has very clear laws about cultural resources like cemeteries: they must be publicly accessible. So I had no qualms of going into the mess of trees and taking pictures.

The cemetery was recorded at the County Clerk's office in 2019. While it's known and protected, at least legally, it doesn't mean that it is "out of the woods" yet (haha): the land was purchased in May of this year by 7-Eleven, a gas station chain.

When I spoke to someone at the City of Gainesville about my concern for the cemetery, they mentioned that the developer promised to be "a good steward." I had a dilly of a time trying to make clear, without sounding too annoyed, that it's not about promises. It's state law (backed by several court decisions) that counties MUST protect cultural resources and enforce public access. Sorry not sorry... access is NOT a private property owner's decision.

Therefore, the cemetery, with all of its broken tombstones, could be threatened by development. I'm not insinuating that 7-Eleven will destroy it...they make good Slurpees and probably, good corporate citizens as well. But I want to make sure the Cooke County public is aware. Perhaps one of the readers knows if a cemetery association has already been formed to take care of the family's burials?

The Peery family, consisting of spouses William and Ellender (Nellie?) McCrary, came to Cooke County in the 1840s by way of Missouri. They had a passel of children and were also enslavers, which may mean that unmarked graves surround the family plot.

This cemetery could not be saved without the labor of Cooke County Probate clerk Pattie Tucker. Pattie (and perhaps volunteers) uncovered the tombstones on the Pulte farm so that the cemetery deed could be filed in 2019. The cemetery is also listed on Find-a-Grave. THANK YOU, PATTIE!

Read the laws regarding cemeteries in the state of Texas so that you're armed with information when you're wanting to go to a cemetery that appears to be inaccessible. Best armor to have!

William Peery's tombstone. He was born in Kentucky, got married in Missouri, and moved to Texas in the 1840s, where he and his slaves established a farm. Back then, the farm was far from the main road. Now, it's located at the corner of US 82 and Interstate 35 in Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas.

Nellie Peery's grave at Peery Cemetery in Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas. We had to use our hands to uncover the stone.

The Peery Cemetery is recorded in the Cooke County's deed records.

Surrounding the Peery cemetery is 7-Eleven!

The Peery (later Pulte) farm is no longer a quiet place. It's located in a grove of random trees along US 82 and Interstate 35 in Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas. It makes you wonder what other forgotten places are dotted everywhere, and if we're losing them because they're not on our radar?