About five or so miles out of Manor on FM-973 lies this large well tended to cemetery. The first…read morething that struck me as odd was the fact that there are no trees on the property. This appears to still be an active cemetery as there are some recent burials here from the last few years and the most recent interment was from August 20, 2022. There's still plenty of room for more. Despite being surrounded on all sides by farmland, there is a new development in the area. This is a well laid out orderly graveyard with many family plot areas. Many of the names found on these stones are of German, Austrian and Swedish descent. There is no parking lot, but there is a gravel road perimeter that runs around the property. There is a decent size covered structure on the property capable of holding funeral services. There are a few graves from the late 1800s, but the majority are from the 20th-century. Two things I did not find are a Texas historical sign, and there were no CSA designated service member graves. Nor did I find any Woodmen of the world markers which are common in this area. I also saw no graves dedicated to the Pfluger or Boatright familys. If you desire to make this your forever home, you'll most likely have to contact the New Sweden Lutheran Church located in the vicinity, but not near the cemetery. The photos included in this review give greater insight.

This cemetery is located less than a half a mile down County Road 135 from the much larger Hutto…read morecemetery. The property is only a couple of acres in size and has a gravel lane that runs around the perimeter on the property also sits a well-made pagoda like structure that is dedicated to some previous church members. The cemetery is well laid out in family plots and is well taken care of, even the headstones appear to have been cleaned. The majority of the graves are from the 20th century but there are a handful of recent additions. This is referred to as a church graveyard, however, there is no church on or next to the property. The two most notable names found throughout the property are Almquist and Johnson. There appears to still be additional space for interments and a photo included in this review has the information you need in case you wish to inquire.

This is another one of those middle of nowhere cemeteries located on FM 916. There are quite a…read morenumber of headstones from late 1800's and I spotted a few Woodmen of the world markers as well. There is a Texas historical sign next to the entrance and provides some very informative historical information concerning this property. The Cemetery is about 5 acres in size surrounded entirely by farmland and appears to have plenty of space for future interments. The nice thing about this cemetery is the fact that it has been well-maintained and manicured with virtually no fallen headstones. I did come across some Westbrook graves of which I'm sure are related to the ones interred at the Westbrook Memorial Gardens about 10 miles away in Elgin (see separate review). If you're a local history buff, this may be a worthy stop for you. Plenty of photos included in this review to round out the story.

This small cemetery is located off the beaten path, as a matter fact, it's located over the tracks…read moredown a single gravel lane, less than a mile from US 290. I was surprised to find a Texas historical sign at such a small remote location. The cemetery itself looks reasonably cared for, and occasionally visited. There are some turn-of-the-19th century headstones on the property, but there are two recent burials from 2022 as well. According to Google maps, there is a secondary location on the other side of the road on private property, but I was not able to spot it. This is a peaceful location, surrounded by rural farm land, and far from the noise of 290.

Just 100 yards from RM620 you'll spot a small driveway with a gate which leads down a gravel road…read moreto this cemetery which occupies about an acre or two. I spotted the cemetery on Google maps and decided to review it in hopes that it would also be included in the Google maps description, which Yelp helps to facilitate. There are many recent graves here and there are some who are reinterred here due to the building of Mansfield Dam nearby. There are graves that go back to the early 20th century and as recently as 2023. This looks to be an active cemetery with additional space for more. Towards the rear of the property, you'll find family plots with the names of Tounguegate and Hudson and others. There are several service members buried here and many graves are covered in pea gravel. The grounds are pretty much overgrown with weeds, and the grave sites are for the most part aligned, but there is some randomness. There are no amenities here nor is there a Texas historical sign denoting anyone of note. Some graves show signs of visitation, but not all of them.

This small one to two acre cemetery sits between the towns of Taylor and Elgin on SH-95. It is…read moresurrounded on all sides by farming community, however there is a gas station just a short walk away across the street. Virtually all of the graves here are of Germanic origin judging by all the names. There are also some notable names buried here such as Pfluger, Bittner and Goetz. I did find several headstones of Hispanic origin. The graveyard itself is nicely laid out and is well-maintained. This is still an active cemetery, as there are a couple of new arrivals. Near the front of the property sits a well constructed covering which is most likely used for funeral purposes. Two things I did not find were a Texas historical sign and an actual church on or near the property. Of all the hundreds of graves here, most are from the 20th century, but there are quite the number from the late 1800s. There still appears to be room for more occupants, in case you're looking for a place in the country to call your forever home. The photos included in this review fill in the rest.

This cemetery sits on a 1 acre spot more or less. It is a fairly well taken care of cemetery…read moresurrounded by cornfields and cotton. One thing I was surprised not to see was a Texas historical sign posted by the cemetery with some historical information. However, I did spot a post that was sheared off which may well have had a historical sign but, has since been removed by vandals. There is a Texas historical sign on the opposite side of the road from the entrance, however it refers to a school that is no longer at that location. Judging by many of the names on the grave stones, it certainly appears that many of those buried here are of Swedish descent. I did spot one grave that represented a 19 century trade union which I've seen at other graveyards in the Austin and Manor area. Many of the graves are from the early 20th century, but two were from 2018. This picturesque cemetery seems to still have plenty of room for future residents. So if you're looking for a peaceful resting place away from the city, this might be a good choice. I decided to take extra pictures since there was no historical sign.

This past spring, I was a "student librarian" at Cook Elementary in AISD, which participates in…read moreRIF. I got to volunteer for the Reading is Fundamental Program at Cook and had a blast. Reading is Fundamental *is* fundamental! Three times a year, each student at Cook Elementary gets to choose and take home a beautiful book of their very own to read and read again. Studies show that having books at home is instrumental in getting kids to be good readers, and three a year is a great start. At Cook, 96% of students receive free or reduced lunch based on their family's incomes, so there isn't a lot of money left for books. RIF helps to fill that need, and it makes a big difference. Hooray for RIF! I love volunteering for them!