Hope Cemetery
Marlin, Falls Co., Texas
From Marlin, Take Fm 147 east about 9 miles then go north about 3 miles to cemetery. (on west side of road)
Year Erected:1980
Falls County Judge W. R. Reagan, pioneer school teacher, gave this 10-acre site
in 1873 to Hope Baptist Church for a meeting, school, and burial ground. The
61-member fellowship under the pastorate of the Rev. J. J. Davis erected a
sanctuary to serve the "Spunky Flat" area. The first grave in the cemetery after
1873 was that of a young girl whose family was traveling through the region.
Over the plot they built a small house which washed away in a flood. The first
marked site, dated 1874, is that of Alma Etta Watters. A summer revival
conducted in 1921 under an arbor revitalized the congregation, and for several
years the prayer meetings continued to draw large crowds. As residents moved to
cities and young men went into military service in World War II, the membership
declined. In 1943, the last service was conducted. The sanctuary was destroyed
by fire in 1966. In the early years relatives and friends provided maintenance
for the burial ground. Hope Cemetery Association was organized in 1974 and a
tabernacle was constructed five years later. The graveyard, with 104 marked
sites and many unmarked plots, continues to serve the area.