Unusual Research: Exploring Waco’s History at First Street Cemetery

Sitting serenely beneath the kind of old trees you expect would shade a place of rest, is the First Street Cemetery in Waco. But look up and to the west and you’ll feel like a time traveler as barely blocks away is the modern symbol of today’s fast-paced life – Interstate 35.

Image of First Street Cemetery Texas State historic marker explaining the history of the cemetery.

Image of cemetery and headstones with Interstate 35 running through the background to show how close it is. — Interstate 35 just blocks away.

The First Street Cemetery was the first public cemetery, established in 1852. It holds some of the greatest characters in Waco history – you would almost think Hollywood created them.

You can learn so much about a community through its cemeteries.

As I walked through First Street Cemetery, I was in awe of some of the designs of the headstones. Sad about others that were very plain, no last names even. And my heart felt heavy for the number of children buried there.

Image of tall, ornate headstone with intricate carving on the top 1/3. — Beautifully carved stone.

Image of a small upright headstone saying "baby" and "infant child of Parker & Irene Kellum. — So many children here.

Image of plain headstone with unmarked foundation with upright stone on top with name simply engraved. — A simple stone.

Image of plain upright headstone with just name "Jimmie" engraved on it. — Some just show a first name.

But I wanted to learn more about this very old cemetery, so I came home to do some research and I found the following information online through a helpful document listing the people who are interred at the cemetery as well as some who were there but have been re-interred elsewhere.

The book is called, Some Notable Persons in First Street Cemetery of Waco, Texas (Willis, T. Bradford. Some Notable Persons in First Street Cemetery of Waco, Texas, book, 2010;(https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth163876/: accessed February 19, 2026), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Private Collection of T. B. Willis.)

Image of Texas State historical marker with story of Samuel Johan Forsgard.

Image of old upright headstone with name of Samuel J. Forsgard.

Image of Texas State historical marker with story of Thomas Hudson Barron.

Here are just some of the interesting people and their roles in the community:

Caroline Peters, ca. 1824-1851. Her gravesite is believed to have the oldest known marker.
Richard Furman Blocker, 1824-1861, was founder of the first law firm.
Matilda Brown, 1802-1888, was a black midwife. Her grave had been lost but was found in 2008 when work was being done for the Texas Rangers’ Company F Headquarters.
William Calmes Buck, 1790-1872, was a veteran of the War of 1812.
George Ewing Burney, 1814-1878 was a legislator who crafted bill to create McLennan, Bell, and Falls County.
Lankford “Lank” N. Cassaday, 1836-1879 was a Confederate veteran who owned the “Bar and Ten-Pin Alley” near the suspension bridge.
John Christianson, ca. 1838-1888 was the town’s first tailor.
Albert Cloyes, ca. 1811-1853 served on the first grand jury.
Thomas E. Davis, ca. 1859-1898. His claim to fame is shooting the editor of ˆThe Iconoclast” newspaper but was shot in return and both men died. There is an historic marker noting the tragedy on 4^th Street.
Thomas F. Grimes, 1843-1869 and Henry A. Grimes, 1848-1869 – these two brothes ruined Thomas’ upcoming wedding by getting drunk, rowdy, and resisting arrest – leading to both of them being killed by Federal soldiers.
Robert Brown Lambdin, 1821-1891 started The Waco Era, Waco’s first newspaper.
Shepart Mullins, ca. 1828-1871 was born into slavery in Alabama. He came to Texas in 1854, bought land, and served as a county commissioner and a legislator.
Bonnie Bell Hamlett Hall, 1888-1968, was the last person to be interred at the cemetery.

Image of old upright headstone for James Edward Harrison. — James Edward Harrison, 1815-1875 was a Brigadier General in Confederate Army. He spoke Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek and was the first president of the Baptist General Association of Texas.

Image of two rows of upright headstones for Confederate Veterans. — Rows of Confederate Veterans.

Image of simple upright headstone of Confederate Veteran, saying P.V.T. Black. C.S.A. — Confederate Veteran

Of course, besides the notable people are some of the people who quietly shaped the town without noise or notice. Regular people, working hard, contributing to the building and growth of their community.

Parents, children, Veterans, legislators, entrepreneurs, professionals, lawmen, and yes – even a dog. Old Sam belonged to Walter Fort and hung out and greeted patrons at the Pacific Saloon on S. 4^th Street.

Image of upright headstone of Armstead Ross. — Armstead Ross, 1821-1883 was a trusted slave to Shapley P. Ross and came with him to Texas in 1839. He and his wife were two of the 21 original settlers in Waco. He is buried in Ross family plot.

We also learn a lot about the time period and the things the people felt were important through the designs and words on the headstones allow us a glimpse into the “cemetery folkways.” Some stones were ornate and intricate. Some just held a simple first name.

Image of upright headstone with the word "consort" included. — Note the term “consort” on the third line.

Image of upright headstone with the word "consort" again on the third line. — Note the term “consort” on the third line.

I learned something new. I saw a couple that said that a woman was a “consort” of her husband. I had never seen that on a headstone so I looked it up. It means she died before her husband. The term was mainly used from the 17^th to the 19^th centuries.

Sadly, not all the graves are marked or have lost their markers. As work has been done around the Texas Ranger Museum, some sites have been found. No one can say for sure if there are more to be found.

Image of a broken upright headstone, one piece sitting in front of the other. — Care and maintenace are continually needed.

You can learn a lot about a community just by visiting and old cemetery. It’s not creepy – it’s educational. They took the time and effort to place these wonderful markers as a way to honor their loved ones and hope that future citizens would honor and respect them as well.

So never hesitate to take the chance to visit the memories of those who worked hard to make it the community it is today. And if you want to learn a little more about Waco in a different way, take your time and stroll (respectfully) through First Street Cemetery.

First Street Cemetery is located at 900 S. University Parks Dr., Waco TX 76706.

It’s next door to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum so stop in there for a visit while you’re there.