Emancipated African Americans established the Durden and Lake Creek communities in the area following the Civil War. For many years most families buried loved ones on their own farms. In 1906, Malissa Scurlock and her two sons, Dan and George, donated three acres of their land as a community burial ground. The first interments were two infants, the daughter of Willie and Pearl McCelvey and the son of Ike (Isaac) and Hanna Berry. The Lake Creek Cemetery Association organized in 1910, with Hayne David as chairperson and Beatrice Murphy as secretary; both continued in these positions until 1959. With generations of burials, this active cemetery is a cherished and tangible link to the past.
Getting there
31.2452, -95.2585
Locations are approximate and may be inaccurate, on private land, or otherwise inaccessible. Check before you travel.
Hear it from the road
Whistlestop tells you this story automatically when you drive past. No searching, no tapping, nothing to ask.
