rake at red mud

 

The Red Mud Cemetery started in an open pasture.  According to an oral history about Tap Cemetery, as it was once called, persons of the community began to see the need of protection from the livestock as more people were being buried in the cemetery.  "The story goes that Mrs. Manning out looking for her milk cows and Mrs. Airhart looking for her cows met near the cemetery. They stopped for a chat and were the first to discuss the need of a fence around the cemetery. Anxious to get something done about it, there was a box supper held in the Airhart home to raise the money for the first fence to be placed around this cemetery. The post were to be cut out of the Spur Ranch pasture. Each man was to be allowed the privilege of cutting twenty (20) post to be used for this purpose. A work day was set to put up this fence which could be called the first cemetery working ever to be held here, this was in 1904. This was a barbed wire fence, later another box supper was held in the school house for the same purpose and a small mesh net wire fence was put around it. Later in about 1925 a hogwire fence with cedar post was built, some of which is still being used. When this first fence was to be put up, Grandpa Sparks gave an acre of land to be used. W.H. Martin, who owned the adjoining place north of the cemetery gave another acre."  Today a barbed fence and gate still protect the cemetery from cattle.

 



 

Red Mud Cemetery

Dickens County, Texas

8.16.2014