Echols Cemetery on Jennings Mountain

Located on the C.B. Jennings survey and atop Jennings Mountain, the four-acre Echols Cemetery was established as a local burial ground for settlers in Brownsboro. Richard O. Echols (1851-1905) and Margaret Ann (Williams) Echols (1859-1939) settled here in 1877 and farmed the land. Echols was a large property owner and civic-minded. He served his community as a school trustee and credit lender. Children Ira Armister Echols (1897-1977), a Henderson County Commissioner (1935-1942), Joe Lee Echols (1892-1943), Callie Eastes (1890-1979) and four infants are buried at Echols Cemetery with their parents. After Richard’s death in 1905, Margaret went on to establish a bank in Brownsboro, focusing on agricultural financing, and became a successful businesswoman. On March 8, 1926, she officially deeded the 37-acre cemetery to the community as a burial ground. The first burial in the cemetery was that of Agnes Merit Hall Hopson (1813-1870), wife of William Hopson. Other burials include John Chambers Barton (1850-1919), the oldest son of Jeremiah Barton, an 1850s settler, along with the burials of John’s first wife, Catherine C. Echols (1850-1876), and their infant (1876). John’s brother, Ruben Cook Barton (1857-1899), and many other Barton descendants rest on the mountain, including lifelong resident, Isaac Anderson Barton (1860-1951), who was a mason, farmer, ginner, and the first mayor of Brownsboro. Many veterans are buried here. An association formed in 1958 to care for this historic cemetery. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2016