[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 100 (Friday, June 29, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE CARROLLTON BLACK CEMETERY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 29, 2012

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pride and pleasure to 
rise today to recognize and commemorate the heritage of the Carrollton 
Black Cemetery. Buried beneath its soil are the men and women who 
forged the pathway for the Carrollton community. Today we recognize 
those who have gone before us, the sacrifices they have made, and the 
impact they have had on the lives of today's Carrollton citizens.
  In 1850, the first recorded burial in the cemetery was Mary Lamer, an 
immigrant from Illinois and the original owner of the property. In 
1871, the Carrollton Black Cemetery was established on a forty-acre 
sited owned by Mr. Scott Boswell, an early African American Carrollton 
farmer. By 1915, Mr. C.B. Baxley purchased the land with a deed 
exclusion to keep the cemetery intact. Up until the Civil War, it was 
customary to bury slaves on their owner's land. After Emancipation, 
freed slaves and their families wished to have their own burial 
locations. Unfortunately, the Carrollton Black Cemetery has undergone 
flooding from the Trinity River which has caused the loss of many of 
its gravestones. In 1981, to preserve the cemetery's history, a fence 
was erected around its perimeter. On Saturday, June 23, the cemetery 
was identified as a Texas historical site.
  The Carrollton Black Cemetery is referred to by many names including 
the Carrollton Community Cemetery and the Carrollton Memorial Cemetery. 
The record of the Carrollton Black Cemetery reflects the rich history 
of the African American community in Carrollton. Many of the people 
buried in the Carrollton Black Cemetery were trailblazers of growth, 
development, and continued successes in the Carrollton community.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize the Carrollton Black 
Cemetery for the heritage and history it brings to the 24th District of 
Texas. I ask all of my distinguished colleagues to join me in honoring 
the Carrollton Black Cemetery and in commending the current citizens 
who care for it.

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