Friday, March 31, 2006
Van Horn's Cemetery
For some people, a cemetery might be an odd choice for “my favorite place.” But I love coming here. The cemetery sits on the northwest edge of town in the shadow of Van Horn's Six Mile Mountain and Turtleback Mountain, and is an oasis of quiet, beauty, community, and devotion to family.
This is not a place of uniformity. Most graves are one-of-a-kind, just as the people were. That’s what makes it special. The graves, from as early as the 1880s, are lovingly tended by family members. Van Horn residents, many of them exceptionally creative, have made unique markers that really tell a story about the one passed. The lives and personalities shine through.
Some of the families have made the graves small mini-parks, with benches and plantings. They’ve left articles of devotion, too. A stroll through the cemetery is almost like walking through town and saying “hello” to everyone you meet. Just as each living person is unique, so are Van Horn’s graves.
If you're in Van Horn, and want some quiet time off the highway, and some insight into the love this small town has for its own, spend a few minutes at the cemetery.
From the intersection of 54 and 90, travel north one block crossing the railroad track to 1st W. Street, turn left (west) driving all the way to Bell (the last paved street). Turn right and at the end of the road is the entrance to the cemetery.
--Beth Nobles, Regional Coordinator of the Texas Mountain Trail, Van Horn.
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