The Texas Spirit Quest
is a series of Caches placed by
many individuals, near cemeteries and historic sites in hopes of
paying respect to the many pioneer ancestors that have
‘walked’ before
us.
There are hundreds of cemeteries in the rural communities
across Texas. This series will introduce you to many of them. The
cache pages will provide a virtual history tour of the cemeteries,
tombstones and local lore.
This elusive cemetery is the site of eight interments, five for
members of the Cocke family and three for the Labenski family. The
earliest grave here dates back to 1875, with the final burial
taking place in 1918. The site had been neglected and had become
heavily overgrown until an Eagle Scout led a restoration back in
2007. The Hay County Historical Commission now maintains the
one-acre grounds. Allegedly, there is a right-of-way to the
location, which is a couple of hundred feet to the south of Hy
Road, but as it is shared with what is essentially someone's
driveway, many cachers might be too shy to make the
approach.
This was a very difficult place to track down. I looked for
it three times before I had to give in and actually contact someone
for the very first time in my history of TSQ placements. I managed
to find someone who had taken photographs here in February 2010 and
she was able to clue me in. The cache is NOT by the grounds; it is
by the roadside. When you find it, if you look due south across a
small and cluttered pasture, you'll see another treeline and a
wrought iron-fence. That is where the cemetery is positioned. If
you feel semi-daring, go ahead and stroll through the
quasi-ceremonial gateway to the left and up the gravel lane. Most
of the cemetery is just open ground; the markers are over to the
far right. As always, any refinements to the listed coordinates are
welcomed.