Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas)
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Glenwood Cemetery is located in
Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, United States. Developed in 1871, the first professionally designed cemetery in the city accepted its first burial in 1872. Its location at Washington Avenue overlooking
Buffalo Bayou Buffalo Bayou is a slow-moving river which flows through Houston in Harris County, Texas. Formed 18,000 years ago, it has its source in the prairie surrounding Katy, Texas, Katy, Fort Bend County, Texas, Fort Bend County, and flows approximately ...
served as an entertainment attraction in the 1880s. The design was based on principles for garden cemeteries, breaking the pattern of the typical gridiron layouts of most Houston cemeteries. Many influential people lay to rest at Glenwood, making it the "
River Oaks River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans .Archive Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael ...
of the dead." As of 2018, Glenwood includes the annexed property of the adjacent Washington Cemetery, creating a total area of with still undeveloped. Notable burials at Glenwood include former residents of the Republic of Texas, some who were re-interred from condemned cemeteries from downtown Houston. Charlotte Allen and William Robinson Baker were early arrivals to Houston, and also long time residents. Baker was one of several interments of former mayors of Houston. The last president of the Republic of Texas, Anson Jones, has a family plot. Former governors of Texas and a former governor of Mississippi lie at rest at the cemetery, as do some high-ranking federal officials. Scions of the oil business include two co-founders of Sharp-Hughes Tools, as well as founders and early investors of Texaco and Humble Oil. The founding president of Rice University, the school's chief architect, and the institute's first trustee are found at Glenwood.


History

Glenwood Cemetery developed on two tracts of land on the north side of Buffalo Bayou, and west of
Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45 ...
. Part of this land conveyed from the country estate of Archibald Wynns, a Houston lawyer and Congressman for the
Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...
. This tract was later the location of a brickyard, then the property of William Harrison King, who served as
mayor of Houston The following is a list of people who have served as mayor of the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Qualifications, election, and terms To file to run for mayor, a person must be a qualified voter of the city of Houston, and have h ...
. Glenwood Cemetery purchased the property and some adjacent land in the Hollingsworth Survey in 1870. Alfred Whitaker gained a charter to incorporate the Houston Cemetery Company. He owned his own landscaping company and used his expertise to clear out lots, lay out and grade right of ways, and otherwise beautify the landscape. Glenwood hosted its first burial on June 19, 1872. Many remains were reinterred at Glenwood after the condemnations of St. Vincent's and the Episcopal cemeteries. Glenwood obtained its state charter as the Houston Cemetery Company, starting as for-profit institution, the first state charter for a cemetery. About 25 years later, the Houston Cemetery Company changed its status to non-profit. By 1874, Glenwood was a recreational destination. A mule-drawn street railway operated on Washington Road, conveying people to Glenwood for weekend and holiday visits. Upgrades and expansions to the street railways were both a response to demand for travel to the cemetery and a cause of it. Glenwood remained popular for about twenty years. A group led by W. D. Cleveland criticized the conditions of lots and roads in 1896 and asked for a receivership to manage Glenwood. Two court decisions resulted in a transfer of management to William Christian. Glenwood underwent reorganization in 1904, and more recently was reorganized as the non-profit Glenwood Cemetery, Incorporated in 1969. A separate organization, the Glenwood Cemetery Historic Preservation Foundation, started overseeing historic preservation of the property in 1999. The same year Glenwood acquired the adjacent Washington Cemetery, expanding its land area by . Keith Rosen, a
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
area history professor quoted in the ''
San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1865. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the sta ...
'', said that the cemetery is the "
River Oaks River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans .Archive Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael ...
of the dead."Davis, Rod.
Houston's really good idea Bus tour celebrates communities that forged a city.
" ''
San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1865. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the sta ...
''. Sunday August 3, 2003. Travel 1M. Retrieved on February 11, 2012.
In 2003 the ''
Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...
'' ranked it as the "Best Cemetery".


General characteristics

Glenwood Cemetery is located on the northern bank of Buffalo Bayou, and bounded by Washington Avenue to the north. Parts of the property afford views of the downtown Houston skyline, of Memorial Drive, and of Allen Parkway. The grounds are shaded by numerous hardwoods, and the bluffs are cut by deep ravines leading to the bayou. The grounds have formal landscaping, and a diversity of statues and monuments. The property covers , with still undeveloped as of 2018. According to architectural historian Stephen Fox, many of Houston's earlier cemeteries featured a gridiron arrangement of grave sites, following a pattern of urban cemeteries. Glenwood did not employ a gridiron arrangement, and even many of Glenwood's successors retained the old manner of urban cemetery design.


Notable burials

This historic cemetery is the final resting place of a number of individuals who were citizens of the short-lived
Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...
. The grave sites of those individuals have been designated with metal markers and are frequently decorated with the flag of the Republic and State of Texas. Charlotte Baldwin Allen, wife of
Augustus Chapman Allen Augustus Chapman Allen (July 4, 1806 – January 11, 1864), along with his younger brother, John Kirby Allen, founded the City of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. He was born on July 4, 1806, in Canaseraga Village, New York (now the hamlet of ...
, founder City of Houston, has her grave marked by a large monument. Charlotte's brother,
Horace Baldwin Horace Baldwin (18011850) was mayor of Houston, Texas in 1844. His brother-in-law, Augustus Chapman Allen, was a co-founder of Houston, Texas. A former resident of Baldwinsville, New York, Baldwin came to Houston based on the encouragement of h ...
, was a mayor during the Republic; and her daughter, Eliza Allen Converse, was touted as "the first child born in Houston."Turner and Wilson (2010), p. 151. Another early arrival to Houston was
William Robinson Baker William Robinson Baker (May 21, 1820 – April 30, 1890) was an American railroad executive and politician who served as the 29th Mayor of Houston from 1880 to 1886. Baker was previously the Director and Vice President of the Houston and Texas ...
, who worked for the Houston Town Company starting in 1837. He was later a Houston mayor. He is buried next to his wife, Hestor Eleanor Runnels. Other citizens of the Texas Republic were
Hiram Runnels Hiram George Runnels (December 15, 1796 – December 17, 1857) was a U.S. politician from the states of Mississippi and Texas. He was a Democrat who served as the ninth governor of Mississippi from November 20, 1833, to December 3, 1835. Biog ...
, a former
Governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...
(18331835), and
James Wilson Henderson James Wilson Henderson (August 15, 1817 – August 30, 1880) was an American surveyor and politician who served as the fourth governor of Texas from November to December 1853. Biography Born on August 15, 1817, in Sumner County, Tennessee, He ...
, who served as
Governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...
in 1853.
Anson Jones Anson Jones (January 20, 1798 – January 9, 1858) was an American medical doctor, businessman, member of Congress, and the fourth and last president of the Republic of Texas. Early life Jones was born on January 20, 1798, in Great Barri ...
, the last president of the
Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...
, committed suicide at the Capitol Hotel and is buried here. His wife,
Mary Smith Jones Mary Smith Jones (July 24, 1819 – December 31, 1907) was the last First Lady of the Republic of Texas, as wife of Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic. She was the first president of the newly founded Daughters of the Republic of Te ...
, the first lady of the Republic of Texas, died on December 31, 1907, and is buried at Glenwood Cemetery. Two reconstruction mayors are interred at Glenwood:
Joseph Robert Morris Joseph Robert Morris (April 24, 1828 December 6, 1885) was a metal worker, business owner, investor, and inventor. He briefly served as mayor of Houston, Texas. Early life and family Joseph Robert Morris was born on April 24, 1828, in Milton, ...
and Thomas Howe Scanlan. John T. Browne was mayor of Houston from 1897 to 1899 and member of Texas House of Representatives. Another mayor buried at Glenwood is Joseph Chappell Hutcheson, Jr., who also served as a federal judge. His father,
Joseph Chappell Hutcheson Joseph Chappell Hutcheson, Sr. (May 18, 1842 – May 25, 1924), was a Texas politician and a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives. Biography Hutcheson was born near Boydton, V ...
, was a member of the
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...
and
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from
Texas's 1st congressional district Texas' 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives serves the Northeast Texas, northeastern portion of the state of Texas. As of 2022, the 1st district contained 775,992 people. It consists largely of four small Eas ...
. Houston lawyer and politician Thad Hutcheson represents a third generation of his family at Glenwood.
Roy Hofheinz Roy Mark Hofheinz (April 10, 1912 – November 22, 1982), popularly known as Judge Hofheinz or "The Judge", was a Texas state representative from 1935 to 1937 ( 44th legislature), county judge of Harris County, Texas from 1936 to 1944, a ...
, Harris County Judge, Mayor of Houston, and developer of the
Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...
, is interred at Glenwood. Albert Bel Fay, U.S. Ambassador to
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...
is interred at Glenwood.Turner and Wilson (2010), p. 197.
Edward M. House Edward Mandell House (July 26, 1858 – March 28, 1938) was an American diplomat, and an adviser to President Woodrow Wilson. He was known as Colonel House, although his title was honorary and he had performed no military service. He was a high ...
, was an adviser to
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
. He is the son of
Thomas William House Sr. Thomas William House Sr. (March 4, 1814 – January 17, 1880) was a merchant, cotton factor, investor, banker, and politician in Houston, Texas. House started as a baker in New York and New Orleans, before establishing his own businesses in Hous ...
Buried in the cemetery is
William P. Hobby William Pettus Hobby (March 26, 1878 – June 7, 1964) was an American politician, journalist, and publisher who served as the 27th governor of Texas from 1917 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 24th lieutenant gove ...
, former Texas Governor, after whom
Hobby Airport William P. Hobby Airport —colloquially referred to as Houston Hobby or other short names—is an international airport in Houston, Texas, located from downtown Houston. Hobby is Houston's oldest commercial airport, and was its primary airpor ...
in Houston, Texas, is named.
Oveta Culp Hobby Oveta Culp Hobby (January 19, 1905 – August 16, 1995) was an American government official and businesswoman who served as the first United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1953 to 1955. A member of the Republican Party, ...
served as the Secretary of
Department of Health, Education and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Im ...
(19531955). Another Texas governor at Glenwood, Ross S. Sterling (19311933), was co-founder of
Humble Oil Company Humble Oil and Refining Co. was an American oil company founded in 1911 in Humble, Texas. In 1919, a 50% interest in Humble was acquired by the Standard Oil of New Jersey which acquired the rest of the company in September 1959. The Humble brand w ...
, along with
William Stamps Farish II William Stamps Farish II (February 23, 1881 – November 29, 1942) was a pioneer in East Texas oilfield development, president of Standard Oil and a founding member and president of the American Petroleum Institute. He was a member of the influen ...
and Harry C. Wiess. A Texaco founder
Joseph S. Cullinan Joseph Stephen Cullinan (December 31, 1860 – March 11, 1937) was a U.S. oil industrialist. Although he was a native of Pennsylvania, his lifetime business endeavors would help shape the early phase of the oil industry in Texas. He founded The T ...
resides there, as with independent oil producer and philanthropist, George H. Hermann, Houston business leader, and "King of the Wildcatters,"
Glenn McCarthy Glenn Herbert McCarthy (December 25, 1907 – December 26, 1988) was an American oil tycoon. The media often referred to him as "Diamond Glenn" and "The King of the Wildcatters". McCarthy was an oil prospector and entrepreneur who owned many bus ...
. With McCarthy, Harry H. Lee, William Howard Lee, and film star Gene Tierney Lee are all buried in a family plot. An early developer of the Indonesian gas, Roy M. Huffington, also served as US Ambassador to Austria. Walter Benona Sharp, whose innovations in mud drilling led to development of the Spindletop field, has a family plot at Glenwood. He co-founded Sharp-Hughes Tool Company aka
Hughes Tool Company Hughes Tool Company was an American manufacturer of drill bits. Founded in 1908, it was merged into Baker Hughes Incorporated in 1987. History The company was established in December 1908 as Sharp-Hughes Tool Company when Howard R. Hughes ...
, with Howard R. Hughes, Sr., who is also interred at Glenwood. The younger Howard R. Hughes, Jr, the aviator and industrialist, is also buried at the family plot and memorial. Another associate of Humble Oil,
Florence M. Sterling Florence M. Sterling (October 13, 1871 – March 24, 1940) was an American businesswoman, journalist and early feminist. Sterling served as treasurer and secretary of her family's business venture, Humble Oil, and also for various community servi ...
, is buried at Glenwood. She was also an advocate for women's rights. Annette Finnigan was a suffragette, philanthropist, and arts patron. Buried here is Edward F. Simms, a native of Kentucky who was an American lawyer, oil industrialist, and owner and breeder of
Thoroughbred racehorses The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered " ...
about whom a ''
Houston Post The ''Houston Post'' was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper shut down, and its assets were purchased by the ''Houston Chronicle''. History Gail Borden Johnson founded the ''Houston P ...
'' obituary said that his career was "a saga of American accomplishment." Buried here, Edwin B. Parker, lawyer of Houston and member of the
War Industries Board The War Industries Board (WIB) was a United States government agency established on July 28, 1917, during World War I, to coordinate the purchase of war supplies between the War Department (Department of the Army) and the Navy Department. Becaus ...
and arbiter with Germany, Austria and Hungary following World War I.
Edgar Odell Lovett Edgar Odell Lovett (April 14, 1871 – August 13, 1957) was an American educator and education administrator. He was the first president of Rice Institute (now Rice University) in Houston, Texas. Lovett was recommended to the post by Woodr ...
was the first president
Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...
(19121946) and is at rest at Glenwood.
William Ward Watkin William Ward Watkin (January 21, 1886 – June 24, 1952) was an architect primarily practicing in Houston, Texas. He was the founder of the Architecture Department of Rice University in 1912, and remained on the Rice faculty until his death. Con ...
was the project manager for the construction of the original buildings on the Rice Campus. Captain James A. Baker was the personal attorney of
William Marsh Rice William Marsh Rice (March 14, 1816 – September 23, 1900) was an American businessman and entrepreneur who made his fortune in Texas. He is best known for leaving his fortune to fund the establishment of Rice University in Houston, Texas. Hi ...
. He protected the interests of the Rice Endowment and was a trustee of the university for fifty years. He was also a trustee of Glenwood Cemetery.
Alice Graham Baker Alice Graham Baker (; October 18, 1864 May 9, 1932) was an American civic leader, social worker, and philanthropist. She was the founding president of the Houston Settlement Association. She was married to Captain James A. Baker, who collabora ...
was the founder of the Houston Settlement Association. Adele Briscoe Looscan was a president of the
Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...
and the grand daughter of the namesake of
Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, and was estimated to be 5,009,302 in 2024, making it the List of counties in Texas, most populous cou ...
. Margaret Kinkaid was the founder of
The Kinkaid School The Kinkaid School is a private PK–12 non-sectarian college preparatory school in Piney Point Village, Texas, United States in Greater Houston. The Kinkaid School is the oldest independent coeducational school in Greater Houston. The stude ...
, which she opened on Elgin Street in 1899. This is also the location of pioneering heart surgeon
Denton Cooley Denton Arthur Cooley (August 22, 1920 – November 18, 2016) was an American cardiothoracic surgeon famous for performing the first implantation of a total artificial heart. Cooley was also the founder and surgeon in-chief of The Texas Hear ...
's family gravesite. Cooley's grandfather, Daniel Denton Cooley, developed the
Houston Heights Houston Heights (often referred to simply as "The Heights") is a community in northwest-central Houston, Texas, United States. "The Heights" is often referred to colloquially to describe a larger collection of neighborhoods next to and includin ...
subdivision. Denton Cooley died November 18, 2016 and is buried at Glenwood. Anne McCormick Sullivan was a firefighter who died in the 2013 Southwest Inn fire. Stacy Barnett and John Goosey were murder victims.


Gallery

File:Ogham Stone Headstone.jpg,
Ogham Ogham (also ogam and ogom, , Modern Irish: ; , later ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish language ( scholastic ...
Stone Headstone in Glenwood File:GlenwoodCemeteryhouse001.jpg, Garden and office at Glenwood File:GlenwoodCemeteryoffice000.jpg, Office at Glenwood File:Glenwood Cemetery, Houston, Texas Historical Marker (8297696067).jpg, Texas Historical Marker for Glenwood File:Anson Jones Texas Historical Commission Marker.JPG, Texas Historical Marker for Anson Jones File:EugeneThomasHeinerGlenwoodTXMarker.jpg, Texas Historical Maker for Eugene Heiner


References


Bibliography

* * * {{Portal bar, Biography, Texas Cemeteries in Houston Cemeteries in Harris County, Texas 1871 establishments in Texas Cemeteries established in the 1870s