88R33004 BPG-D
By: Hughes S.R. No. 684
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Residents of Smith County are gathering at Mason
Cemetery on June 4, 2023, for the dedication of an Official Texas
Historical Marker from the Texas Historical Commission; and
WHEREAS, In 2019, the commission named the burial ground a
Historic Texas Cemetery; further documentation was provided to the
commission, including photographs, maps, research, and written
documented accounts, in order to qualify for this even more
prestigious designation affirming the graveyard's significance in
Texas history; and
WHEREAS, The cemetery was established by early pioneers who
settled in southeastern Smith County, and the oldest recorded
headstone dates back to 1855; it served the community known as
Canton, then Omen, and in modern times, Arp; through the years, it
has expanded to make room for 1,800 marked graves; and
WHEREAS, Among those buried in the cemetery in the 19th
century are some members of the extended Mason family, as well as
Civil War veterans; the tombstones also reflect associations with
the Woodmen of the World, the Masons, and the Order of the Eastern
Star; and
WHEREAS, For more than 150 years, Mason Cemetery has served
as a final resting place for the tenacious men and women who braved
many hardships to forge a community, and this marker is a fitting
tribute to the perseverance of those early settlers as well as to
the contributions of all those who are interred there; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature
hereby commemorate the dedication of the Official Texas Historical
Marker for Mason Cemetery and commend all those involved in
securing this recognition.