‘The Old Bend Graveyard’

The Bend Cemetery has its origins rooted in the post-Emancipation life of Blacks in Limestone County. The land for the cemetery was carved out by Reverend Sim Conner, son of patriarch Alfred Conner, as Black families acquired land in the newly formed Cedar Creek community. The cemetery, sometimes called ‘The Old Bend Graveyard’, was the center of the community and was surrounded by the homes of the Black residents.

The entrance of the cemetery is noted by

the placement of the historical marker.

Historic Texas Cemetery Designation (2018)

The Old Bend Graveyard had been referred to by many names since Emancipation including the Bend Colored Cemetery, Comanche Cemetery, Old Bend Cemetery, and the Cedar Creek Cemetery. Historian Walter F. Cotton noted that Zeno Kelley was buried in the ‘Old Ben Cemetery’ but Zeno’s death record notes the burial ground as the ‘Cidar Creek’ cemetery.

The word “bend” in the cemetery’s name is thought to reference the creek that bends and curves around the cemetery from the southeast corner to the northwest corner of the cemetery. Surprisingly, the cemetery had never been officially registered with the county or state although many had known of its existence. In 2017, the caretakers petitioned the Limestone County Clerk’s office and the State of Texas to officially register the burial ground. The name “The Bend Cemetery” was designated by the caretakers as the permanent name of the cemetery.

In 2018, The Bend Cemetery received formal recognition as a Historic Texas Cemetery. With this effort, a historical marker was purchased and the caretakers installed the marker at the entrance of the burial grounds on September 20, 2020.

  • The cemetery was created after Emancipation on June 19, 1865. Commonly referred to as ‘The Old Bend Graveyard’, the earliest known burial is in 1886.

  • The Bend Cemetery is on LCR 376 near the northern border of Groesbeck, Texas where it meets Mexia, Texas. Please click this link for directions from Mexia using Google Maps. Please click this link for directions from Groesbeck using Google Maps. Directions can also be found in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas by entering the code 7293013705.

  • The Bend Cemetery is an all-Black cemetery that is the final resting place of many persons who were once enslaved. Preliminary records indicate that family units are buried together in certain sections of the burial ground. Please see the “Interments” page which includes a list of veteran burials. There are also a number of history makers interred here. Please see the “Selected Portraits” section of this website for more information.

  • The Bend Cemetery is operated by a small group of Pinkard descendants who count ancestors and kin as having been interred in this burial ground. Given that the cemetery is no longer available for burials, Texas law provides that any blood relative of persons interred have permanent ingress rights to enter the burial grounds to visit graves and to care for the cemetery.

  • No. The cemetery is no longer accepting burials. All persons who previously secured burial plots have been interred at the burial ground. Please reach out to the Caretakers using the “Contact Us” form if you have information about any burial plots.

  • If you are a relative or descendant of a person buried in The Bend Cemetery we would like to hear from you! Please go to the “Missing Links” page and complete the form so we can make the connection!

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