Texas No. 7 -- Aransas Pass & the Final Resting Place

I am attracted by history. When I’m driving, if I have no place to be at a certain time, I’m likely to follow signs to historical markers. One such sign in Aransas Pass led me to Cementerio San Antonio de Padua. I turned off Route 35 onto Cemetery Road, a gravel roadway, and looked for the historical marker.

The marker has an emblem labeled “Texas Historical Commission” at the top. It reads:

CEMENTERIO SAN ANTONIO DE PADUAAccording to local lore, George Lewis (1859-1895) donated one-half acre of land at this site to the Hispanic citizens of the area for use as a cemetery, provided that he be buried in the center of the land. Handmade stones indicate burials dating from the 19th century; the first recorded deed was signed in 1933. Years of wind and rain have rendered many stones illegible. A number of children who died in an influenza epidemic in 1940 and many veterans of U.S. and international conflicts are interred here. A statue of San Antonio holding a child, crafted in Mexico, was brought across the border by the local priest for placement in an open chapel on the cemetery grounds. It is revered by the families of those interred here. (1998)”

Historical marker for Cementerio San Antonio de Padua

You can’t help but feel how personal this space is. In fact, it’s a gathering of many smaller personal spaces. Stones or a cement curbing neatly mark the boundaries of each family’s plot. The curbs and stones are often painted white and the graves are neatly kept. A wire fence with a gate encloses a grouping of several graves. The family name is on a sign at the gate.

Most of the plots have a stone bench, evidence that family members intend to visit and stay in touch.
As the marker says, there is a central, open chapel. The statue of San Antonio is shielded by plexiglass today, but stands on the altar flanked by two lamps on a white latticework wall. A small American flag of the type you would wave in a parade shifts in the breeze, tucked between the wall and Saint Anthony’s protective case.

Statue of San Antonio de Padua

With only a few exceptions, most notably, Mr. Lewis, the names reflect the Hispanic heritage of the site: Ancira, Aquirre, Benavides, Calvillo, Castro, Cortez, Davilo, de Leon, Elizondo, Escamilla, Fuentes, Garcia, Gonzalez, Herrera, Longoria, Lucio, Marquez, Mendoza, Mireles, Moreno, Novela, Ortiz, Palacios, Robles, Rodriguez, Ruiz, Soto, Torres, Trevino, and Zamarripa.

Several are World War II veterans, one served in in Viet Nam, and another was killed in Afganistan. The latest date I noticed was 2011. It pleased me that such a historic place was still being used today and that families were taking the time to visit and honor their ancestors.