OLD McKINNEY CITY CEMETERY - McKINNEY
Church Street N33.1954 W96.6178
Church Street N33.1954 W96.6178
This cemetery served as the old McKinney city cemetery before Pecan Grove Memorial Park was started in 1870. According the Capt. Roy Hall, the cemetery was started around 1851. It is referred to at various times as the cemetery in Lovejoy's pasture and the Old McKinney City Cemetery.
One of the people said to be buried here is George Lovejoy, son of John L. Lovejoy, who died around 1856. Another is Joe Peake, who was the first homicide in McKinney. He was killed January 4, 1854, by Alfred Johnson in an argument in a saloon. Johnson was found innocent of manslaughter. A third person known to be buried here was the mother of James Curis Lowery, for whom Lowery Crossing was named. She was the wife of William L. Lowery and died about the end of the Civil War. A fourth person said to be buried here was Milton Wilkerson, who is said to be one of the first settlers of McKinney.
A newspaper article by Capt. Roy Hall says the bones of those interred in this old cemetery were moved when the church was built. According to COLLIN COUNTY CEMETERY INSCRIPTIONS I, Milton Wilkerson is currently buried at Pecan Grove Cemetery. He died in 1867, which was before that cemetery was started. No record was found for the other people said to be buried here.
Capt. Hall says there were never more than 30 graves in the cemetery. One old resident, who is now dead, said she remembered playing in the cemetery as a child. She said there were stones that covered the whole area to Henry Street and that there were no burials after 1869. That would coincide with the idea that it was the old city cemetery until Pecan Grove Memorial Park was started in 1870. The cemetery was never used by the Presbyterian church.
The Trinity Cumberland Presbyterian Church had a wooden building in this area as far back as the early 1870's. This church building was erected in 1926. At that time there were no remaining stones in the cemetery. According to Capt. Hall, when the building was constructed, bones were uncovered. A search of the Trinity Presbyterian Church records did not find any mention of the cemetery in the 1870's or the 1920's. James W. Thomas sold the land to the trustees of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, one of whom was John L. Lovejoy, with the deed listed in Vol W, p 232. At one time this church was called the Central Presbyterian Church. They tried to unite with the First Presbyterian Church and were denied.
The Trinity Presbyterian Church congregation has moved about 15 miles west to the Stonebridge Ranch area. The old building has been sold but so far nothing is being done with it.
Cemeteries of Collin County, Texas, by Joy Gough
One of the people said to be buried here is George Lovejoy, son of John L. Lovejoy, who died around 1856. Another is Joe Peake, who was the first homicide in McKinney. He was killed January 4, 1854, by Alfred Johnson in an argument in a saloon. Johnson was found innocent of manslaughter. A third person known to be buried here was the mother of James Curis Lowery, for whom Lowery Crossing was named. She was the wife of William L. Lowery and died about the end of the Civil War. A fourth person said to be buried here was Milton Wilkerson, who is said to be one of the first settlers of McKinney.
A newspaper article by Capt. Roy Hall says the bones of those interred in this old cemetery were moved when the church was built. According to COLLIN COUNTY CEMETERY INSCRIPTIONS I, Milton Wilkerson is currently buried at Pecan Grove Cemetery. He died in 1867, which was before that cemetery was started. No record was found for the other people said to be buried here.
Capt. Hall says there were never more than 30 graves in the cemetery. One old resident, who is now dead, said she remembered playing in the cemetery as a child. She said there were stones that covered the whole area to Henry Street and that there were no burials after 1869. That would coincide with the idea that it was the old city cemetery until Pecan Grove Memorial Park was started in 1870. The cemetery was never used by the Presbyterian church.
The Trinity Cumberland Presbyterian Church had a wooden building in this area as far back as the early 1870's. This church building was erected in 1926. At that time there were no remaining stones in the cemetery. According to Capt. Hall, when the building was constructed, bones were uncovered. A search of the Trinity Presbyterian Church records did not find any mention of the cemetery in the 1870's or the 1920's. James W. Thomas sold the land to the trustees of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, one of whom was John L. Lovejoy, with the deed listed in Vol W, p 232. At one time this church was called the Central Presbyterian Church. They tried to unite with the First Presbyterian Church and were denied.
The Trinity Presbyterian Church congregation has moved about 15 miles west to the Stonebridge Ranch area. The old building has been sold but so far nothing is being done with it.
Cemeteries of Collin County, Texas, by Joy Gough
This cemetery received a County Historical Marker in 2012.
Old McKinney City Cemetery
A cemetery was started at this site around 1851 and served as the McKinney City Cemetery before Pecan Grove Memorial Park was started in 1870. It has been referred to at various times as the cemetery in Lovejoy's pasture and as the Old McKinney City Cemetery.
George Lovejoy, a son of John L. Lovejoy, was said to have been buried here in 1856. Another burial was McKinney’s first homicide victim, Joe Peake, who was killed January 4, 1854 by Alfred Johnson in an argument in a saloon. A biography of James Curis Lowery, for whom Lowery Crossing was named, says his mother was buried here about the end of the Civil War. She was the wife of William L. Lowery. Milton Wilkerson, one of the first settlers of McKinney, was buried here also. The fenced-in Lovejoy family plot was located in the southeast corner and contained five graves. There were no public burials in this cemetery after the Pecan Grove Cemetery opened in 1870, but a Lovejoy child, John S., Jr., was buried in their family plot in the 1890s.
An early McKinney resident said that at one time tombstones covered all of the land on the south side of the current church building all the way to Henry Street. By the mid-1920s all of the cemetery stones had disappeared.
The Trinity Cumberland Presbyterian Church had a wooden building in this area as far back as the early 1870s. At one time the church was called the Central Presbyterian Church. A larger church building was erected on the north side of the cemetery in 1926. The cemetery was never affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. (2012)
Old McKinney City Cemetery
A cemetery was started at this site around 1851 and served as the McKinney City Cemetery before Pecan Grove Memorial Park was started in 1870. It has been referred to at various times as the cemetery in Lovejoy's pasture and as the Old McKinney City Cemetery.
George Lovejoy, a son of John L. Lovejoy, was said to have been buried here in 1856. Another burial was McKinney’s first homicide victim, Joe Peake, who was killed January 4, 1854 by Alfred Johnson in an argument in a saloon. A biography of James Curis Lowery, for whom Lowery Crossing was named, says his mother was buried here about the end of the Civil War. She was the wife of William L. Lowery. Milton Wilkerson, one of the first settlers of McKinney, was buried here also. The fenced-in Lovejoy family plot was located in the southeast corner and contained five graves. There were no public burials in this cemetery after the Pecan Grove Cemetery opened in 1870, but a Lovejoy child, John S., Jr., was buried in their family plot in the 1890s.
An early McKinney resident said that at one time tombstones covered all of the land on the south side of the current church building all the way to Henry Street. By the mid-1920s all of the cemetery stones had disappeared.
The Trinity Cumberland Presbyterian Church had a wooden building in this area as far back as the early 1870s. At one time the church was called the Central Presbyterian Church. A larger church building was erected on the north side of the cemetery in 1926. The cemetery was never affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. (2012)
