Sep 4 2012
Lawhorn Cemetery–Rockwall Texas
On my last trip out to Rockwall I came across the Lawhorn Cemetery. I came across this old cemetery scouting out the History of Klutts Family Farm. The old cemetery sits in a lonely corner of two farm roads right next door to the Klutts Family Farm.
Originally, I had planed to just to visit the cemetery and see if any of the Klutts Family was buried there. I thought since the farm was neighbors with the cemetery that maybe this was where the family was buried. But it turned out to be a community grave that hasn’t seen a new resident in quite some time.
But after exploring the place, I found it to be interesting and it brought up more questions about the area who were buried here.
Lawhorn Cemetery
When you drive by the cemetery it looks like it hadn’t had a visitor in a while. The grass is over grown and is about waste high in some places. It’s so thick that some of the smaller grave stones are hidden and you might just trip over them if you aren’t careful. But from the research of the place and the few other pictures of the cemetery the grass is at least cut once or twice a season.
From the few grave stones that I looked at, there hasn’t been any recent vandalism if any at all. But there were a lot of cracked, broken, and sinking grave stones in need of some restoration.
During my research of Lawhorn, I didn’t find much about it or who maintains the cemetery. Hopefully after a visit from the Rockwall Historical Society, I can find out more.
The Interments of Lawhorn Cemetery
When I looked through what grave stones I could find, I found that most of the people buried here passed away anywhere from the 1880s to the 1920s.
During my research of Lawhorn Cemetery I found that there are at least 135 interments and the newest resident of Lawhorn passed away in 1978. But most residents passed away over a 100 years ago.
James
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David Real in Algarve
Sep 06, 2012 @ 07:49:55
The photography is beautiful. Cemeteries are a wonderful places to visit when traveling. They combine art, history and landscape. Is that a wide-angle lens causing the dark vignetting in the corners? The shot doesn’t look wide-angled…perhaps a filter on the lens?
James
Sep 06, 2012 @ 11:01:12
Thanks David. I didn’t have a wide-angle lens. I wasn’t even planning on shooting the cemetery. I had my point-n-shoot camera with me for documentation purposes and decided to shoot some test shots to see if it be worth coming back with my SLR or one of my vintage camera to shoot in better light conditions. The images posted here are the best ones.
I created the Vignetting with Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom 3. Well mostly light room for that shot…
David Real in Algarve
Sep 06, 2012 @ 11:13:56
Ah…”post production”. Works well, though, with a cemetery shot – gives a spooky feeling to the shot.
Jimi Jones
Sep 07, 2012 @ 06:23:26
These are some great shots, James. I really like the wind-swept look of the grass, particularly in that 2nd image. Nice work.
James
Sep 15, 2012 @ 01:12:17
Thanks, Jimi. I plan on going back in the fall/winter so what it looks like when the grass isn’t so tall.
Denise Brown
Aug 14, 2013 @ 17:57:15
This cemetery is named for my family, the Lawhorns. The Klutts family purchased the farm from the Lawhorns.
My paternal great-grandmother was Frankie Lelia LAWHORN Brown. She was born in, what is now referred to as The Klutts Farm House. It is my understanding, she was the last of the Lawhorn children born in the house.
Her father and brother are the only Lawhorns buried in the cemetery.
Grandma Brown was born in 1890, and she passed away in 1965. She is buried in the Rockwall [Memorial] Cemetery.
James
Aug 23, 2013 @ 01:19:35
Thanks so much for the information Denise. There really isn’t much information on the families. The Rockwall Historical Society didn’t have any information on the Cemetery and not much on the Klutts Family Farmhouse even though they have access to the family.
Do you know of the age of the house. I have heard several different ages including what the current property manager says. If you want please contact me, I’m always looking for more information and people who know histories of the old farm. http://evolutionarydesigns.net/photography/contact-us/
Denise Brown
Aug 31, 2013 @ 14:45:00
I found one photograph of my paternal great-grandmother, Frankie Lelia LAWHORN Brown, as an infant, sitting in the lap of her mother, Martha Karah SMITH Lawhorn. My great-great grandfather, William Lawson Lawhorn, is standing to the right of Martha and Frankie.
Frankie was born in July of 1890; thus, the date of this photograph is in late 1890 or early 1891.
Frankie’s sons were also born in this house. Jefferson Rufus Brown, IV (January of 1910) and Frank Lawhorn Brown (November of 1918). I am still searching for the photograph of my grandfather, Jeff, standing in front of the same house when he was about ten years of age. I believe we also have other candid photos taken of the Lawhorns at this home.
I will, happily, share the photos with you. The one I have located shows the original [front] design of the house’s exterior. Initially, there was an upper and lower porch extending across the entire front of the home — very quaint and decorative posts and railings. It also shows the front gate and fencing.
Let me know where to email the photo, if you are interested.
Thanks, so much!
Denise Brown
Denise Brown
Aug 31, 2013 @ 14:47:48
An added clarification: I may not have said the Lawhorns (and others) are standing in front of the house in the photograph I located.