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OLD BRICK YARD CEMETERY
HUGHES SPRINGS, CASS COUNTY, TEXAS
The following information was acquired 24—APR-1995 by Audrey Rankin.
This began as a slave cemetery on the Reece Hughes plantation.
This portion of the land is now owned by Ray Collins.
This cemetery is known to be predominantly black.
LOCATION: From Hwy 26l2 in Hughes Springs, turn South at the Love
Chapel Cemetery Marker onto County Road 2986. Go .6 mile where the
road runs into County Road 2984. Turn left and follow 2984 for
approximately 1.3 miles to Bowie-Cass right-of-way lane just a few
yards west of the old Reece Hughes plantation home site. Walk up
this lane just a few yards to a gate. Go through the gate into a
pasture, walk west to nearby wooded area.
Great, great granddaughter of Reece Hughes, Glenda Sue Hughes Cook
DeLoach, lives in a home on the original site of the plantation home.
This was once a large cemetery, containing graves of many slaves,
principally family members of Peter Royal, Sr.. After the Civil
War, they continued to use this cemetery until it was no longer
accessible to them. Many tombstones were once here, but none are
left. However, there are still some rock markers that have not
been dislodged. Many sunken places indicate graves.
The wife of a Royal descendant, Justine Royal, says that the
cemetery covered a spot that is now a small wooded area and
extended almost to the road on the North side, estimating its
original size from one to three acres.
History says that Reece Hughes at on time owned 25,000 acres of
land in Cass and adjoining counties (6,000 in his Hughes Springs
plantation) and had some 200 slaves. On the plantation, he had an
iron foundry. Legend has it that the cemetery was started when a
slave was found dead there.
According to Glenda DeLoach legend is that some Indians may have
been buried here, also. Glenda and many of the Royal descendants
would like to restore this cemetery and erect a historical marker.
Much more information and a list of internments can be found in
THE CEMETERIES WITH CASS COUNTY CONNECTIONS VOLUME 3
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