Entry No. 13 — the Houston file — filed under: historic cemetery

Founders Memorial Park (Old City Cemetery)

Houston's very first cemetery, opened 1836, where 1850s yellow fever and cholera epidemics killed people faster than they could be buried — bodies were laid in long unmarked trenches. Fewer than 150 of an estimated 850+ graves have ever been identified.

The move: Walk the shaded gravel paths past ~80 surviving, weather-worn headstones — including several San Jacinto veterans and Texas Declaration signers — and try to guess where the epidemic trench burials lie among the empty grass.

• 📍 Sixth Ward / Houston Heights edge
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 1217 W Dallas St, Houston, TX 77007

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: tshaonline.org · dar.org · houstonpublicmedia.org

last checked: 2026-07-19