This page features many photos and may be slow to open! 

Please click on a photo to enlarge it.

Granger, located in Williamson County, Texas, was in the heart of one area settled by the Texas Czechs. It was of interest to me that Granger actually has three cemeteries...all located adjacent to each other just to the east of town. There are individual signs for the City Cemetery, Catholic Cemetery, and the Brethren Cemetery.

The entry to the City cemetery features a lichgate (corpse gate).

The Catholic Cemetery has a sign and guidelines for maintaining the cemetery

The Brethren sign faces a side road.

Elements of traditional folk cemeteries can be found in the Granger cemeteries. The above photo shoes the use of curbing around and gravel to cover a family plot.

The above photos shows the use of curbing and gravel, curbing and earth "scraping," and the grass lawn all within the same area. The tree seen in this photo is a cedar, an evergreen, which symbolizes eternal life.

This family plot utilizes curbing, gravel, head stones, foot stones, and is adorned with hearts shaped out of similarly colored small stones.

The Catholic Cemetery features a central Crucifix and before it are the graves of the Priest who served the parish. As in the Assumption Cemetery in Praha, Texas, the markers for the priest are very elaborate.

This older marker heads a grave which is covered with a concrete slab. Another concrete slab nearby has sunk under the ground.

The inscription on this marker indicates that the person buried here (or person had the marker made) believed in the afterlife.  The words of the inscription are "He is not dead. He is just away!"

The inscriptions on many of the older markers are in Czech. The above marker is inscribed in Czech. It once held a circular portrait of the deceased and the tile below the crucifix is an icon of a saint.

Sadly, there are many graves of small children. These two markers feature angels. The one on the left also has a portrait of the child.

The reposed lamb represents innocence and, perhaps also the sacrificial lamb. Note the names on these two markers: Johnnie Joe Hyzak and Daisy Shirley Dudik. They witness the Americanization of some Texas Czechs by the 1930's.

This child's marker from the 1930's is still in Czech. The grave is still scraped and a small crucifix adorns it.

(Some day I hope to learn how to hold disposable cameras straight!--Susan)

Home