Our speaker last Wednesday was Judy Linsley here to talk about the Magnolia Cemetery, one of the most historic spots in town. Ms. Linsley stated that cemeteries were important to communities as they formed because it gave them an indication of civilization. All of Beaumont’s early cemeteries were private until 1876 when William McFaddin donated 2 ½ acres of land for a cemetery for white Beaumonters. The site adjoined his family’s burial place. Early on the grounds were unkept, the road into the plot was almost impassible, there were no fences, and there was no room for growth.

Beaumont was incorporated in 1881 and in 1887 McFaddin sold 13 acres adjacent to the original 2 ½ acres to five Beaumonters who became the first trustees of Magnolia Cemetery. They had the land cleaned up and surveyed and cosponsored a fund raiser with the Lady’s Guild and the local Council of Temperance they called the Grand Tournament and Strawberry Festival for the cemetery.

Over time, property was added to the cemetery, especially during the 1918 influenza pandemic, when the grave diggers supposedly found coffins waiting for them at the gate when they arrived in the mornings. Today the Magnolia Cemetery is still a non-profit corporation and just recently got a new board of directors and they want Beaumont to know that it still serves the community.

Magnolia Cemetery has veterans in it from every war after the War of 1812. Andrew Smith came to Texas with Alabama’s Red Rovers to fight for Texas’ independence. He was supposed to connect with another group of men that eventually were lost in the Battle of Goliad. After the war, he piloted a steamboat on the Neches and Sabine Rivers called the Laura. His footstone noted that he was a veteran of the Texas Revolution. Another veteran who fought in the Civil War was a man named Vaughn who was the editor of Beaumont’s first newspaper – the Beaumont Banner. Also, an effort is underway to move the Beaumont Boys Memorial to men lost in World War I from its location near the fire museum to the Magnolia Cemetery.

Another interesting grave in the cemetery is that of Robert Kidd, who came in from plowing the field one day at the age of ninety-nine and told his wife he just couldn’t do it anymore. He didn’t just lie down and die though; he lived seventeen more years and died at the tender age of 116.

Still another interesting part of the cemetery is where a local sculptor made headstones reflecting each family member’s personality. The sculptor was Herring Coe. She also showed us a picture of the gravestone of Tom “The Tramp,” an epileptic who saved the life of two girls during the 1900 storm on Bolivar peninsula. The girl’s parents, Alice and Frank Keith were in New York at the time. Frank Keith was a lumber man in Beaumont and in gratitude, he provided a home for the rest of Tom’s life in their sawmill and then buried him in their family plot in the cemetery.

There are many other interesting and beautiful monuments and headstones in the cemetery of old Beaumont families, such as the McFaddins and Gilberts. There is even an unusual headstone for a sailor from a foreign country who drowned in the port. His crew members pitched in together to pay for his funeral and the headstone.

Finally, just south of the cemetery is a one-acre plot where African Americans were buried. A lady named Martha Mack bought this plot from William McFaddin in 1881. Many of the graves in this plot may have been moved to Evergreen Cemetery, but perhaps not all of them. The Martha Mack cemetery was used well into the 20th century.

The Magnolia Cemetery is very much an important part of Beaumont history, and if one is inclined to learn more about our history, this would be an interesting place to take a tour.