The newest state historical marker in Bryan is in front of the city’s original cemetery…which has a nickname of Yellow Fever Cemetery because of the large numbers of victims buried there during pandemics in 1867 and 1873.
What is officially known as the Old Bryan City Cemetery is located along the southbound freeway service road between Highway 21 and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.
Click below to hear the text of the historical marker read by WTAW’s Bill Oliver:
The text of the historical marker reads:
As the first public cemetery for the city of Bryan, the Old Bryan City Cemetery (also known as Bryan’s old graveyard and Bryan’s public cemetery) was in use by 1861.
It predates the incorporation of the city of Bryan and is sited on land originally owned by William Joel Bryan, the town of Bryan’s namesake.
It was eventually replaced by the Bryan city cemetery and Oakwood cemetery closer to the townsite of Bryan.
In some public documents, the cemetery is referred to as the Yellow Fever cemetery. The name may originate from the large number of yellow fever deaths in Brazos County in 1867 and again in 1873.
After many years of deterioration, there is only one marked grave in the cemetery: James P. King (1835-1868). A mason and member of the Belmont masonic lodge No. 131, King was also a Confederate veteran, having served as first corporal in the spy company of Gonzales County.
Another identified burial is that of Union civil war veteran John Skues.
City ordinances authorized this as a burial ground for paupers, and the small number of extant headstones is evidence that many burials were for poor or transient people.
The few burial records that exist show a variety of backgrounds, including immigrants form Italy, Ireland, England and Germany, and a variety of ages and ethnicities.
In 1868, the city of Bryan began burying citizens in the new city cemetery.
Although little is known about the numerous burials, the Old Bryan City Cemetery represents the heritage of the early settlers of Bryan and Brazos County.