The Porter Cemetery Project
Porter Cemetery was first brought to my attention around two months ago. A man named David Glover, who is a descendant of the Porters, came into the Gazette office and told me of an abandoned family cemetery nearby. We talked for a while, and my interest grew with each thing he said. Glover lives in Houston and is an older gentleman, so he has been unable to work on the cemetery himself. He told me it took him until recently to even find it.
Once I visited, I felt like it was my mission in life to revive it. Having always been interested in historical areas, specifically cemeteries, this project was very welcome in my life. I have spent over 60 hours working on the project so far. My job at the Gazette is to report, but in my free time, I have chosen to take on the task of coordinating cleanup efforts and having the site registered with the Texas Historical Commission.
You may be wondering why I decided to take on such a hefty project. I mean, it has already been ignored for the better part of a century; why start now? Here’s why: The men and women interred in Porter Cemetery deserve to be taken care of in the same way all others buried in Camp County are. They deserve to rest without trees growing through their final resting places. They deserve respect for what they gave to Camp County and to America. Some of these men were in the military, some of them gave all they had to their fellow man, some of them died in infancy. It is pure disrespect to leave their graves in the condition they are in.
Aside from all of this, Camp County should hear about these people. Some of the people buried there have been there longer than Texas has been a U.S. State. There is so much to learn from this place, and there’s so much to gain. As I mentioned in my first article on Porter Cemetery, B.P. Porter, who now lies under a fallen tree, was once a friend to the man who established our town. He allowed Pitts to stay at his homestead while he prospected the land that is now Pittsburg. These people were someone’s brother, father, sister, friend, or child. They deserve better.
I have my own selfish interests in this, also. I have so enjoyed learning about the Porters, Joneses, and Poseys, but my main interest has been in solving the mystery of the children interred there, along with those who have no obvious tie to the main families. I have pored over J.C. Porter’s Civil War journal, genealogy books at the library, and online listings for the deceased. I have visited every local cemetery in hopes of finding relatives of those at Porter Cemetery, and I actually found some! It has been so so rewarding since I took this on. I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish in the coming weeks and months.
If you’d like to help out by donating money, time, or equipment, please call me at (903) 452-8814. That’s my personal cell phone number, so you can reach me any time of day.