Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Apologies!

I'd like to apologize for my lapse during the summer months! I spent a good deal of time away from home and with family. I appreciate all those who have posted comments and who have been checking in looking for new posts.

I hope to get back to making timely posts on the cemeteries I have visited around the south.

Thanks again for reading!

Bakers Creek Church Cemetery, Blount Co, Tennessee

Bakers Creek Church-This Presbyterian church was established in 1756. Its first pastor was the Rev. Gideon Blackburn who served an extensive circuit in the area. Elizabeth Paxton Houston, mother of Sam Houston, is buried here. [from historical marker]
I visited Bakers Creek Cemetery on July 24, 2009. It is located about 8 miles southwest of Maryville, south of Hwy 411, left on Brick Mill Rd and right on Old Niles Ferry Pike. It is named for nearby Baker's Creek, a tributary of the Little Tennessee River.
As stated on the historical marker, this is the burial place of the mother of Sam Houston. Elizabeth Paxton Houston died September 8, 1831 in her 74th year. Sam was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, but the family moved to the Maryville area after the death of his father in 1807. While the family lived southwest of Maryville, Sam eventually settled northeast of town and founded a school-the first ever school built in the state of Tennessee. Sam is buried in Huntsville, Texas.

This cemetery is also the resting place for 5 Revolutionary War soldiers: Samuel Thompson, Andrew Kennedy, Magnus Tullock, Samuel Henry, and Thomas Montgomery.