St. Vincent Cemetery, Houston,Texas

ST. VINCENT CEMETERY By George E. Wolf Jr.

ST. VINCENT'S CEMETERY

St. Vincent's Cemetery is located at 2400 block of Navigation. 1853-1927, next to the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (1913). Is the oldest Catholic cemetery in Houston. Many unmarked graves, burials from the 1867 yellow fever epidemic. The hurricanes in 1900 and 1915 destroyed many of the markers.

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BOYS HELPING RENOVATE HISTORIC CITY CEMETERY by Karen Elliott (Date unknown,1960's?) Houston Chronicle

Houston's oldest Catholic cemetery, St. Vincent's, is being renovated and plans are to open it for visitors. The historic cemetery founded in 1853, contains the graves of heroes of the Texas Revolution and pioneer Houston settlers. The gate is now locked. Four boys from Project Impact, began cleaning the cemetery and fixing headstones last week. The work is expected to take two more weeks.

"We are fortunate that these boys want to help in our cemetery," said the Rev. Anton J. Frank. The cemetery is maintained by the Houston -Galveston diocese.

"Our big problem is getting anyone to do the work," Father Frank said.

Families of those buried here had an association once but the survivors are so far away they can no longer keep it up. An arch was erected over the entrance in 1947 to mark the cemetery's name and historical significance. "St. Vincent's Cemetery, burial place of Dick Dowling, Hero of Sabine Pass; Samuel Paschal, Hero of San Jacinto and other Houston pioneers."

In 1949, a monument of Texas granite was erected inside the cemetery. "In memory of the fallen hero's of San Jacinto and Sabine Pass, who lie buried here." Santa Anna was defeated at the BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO in 1836. During the Civil War Lt. Dick Dowling turned back the northern Navy in 1863 as it tried to invade Texas through Sabine Pass near Port Arthur.

The names of other hero's of these battles who may been buried there have been obscured by time and inadequate records.

The cemetery was last used in 1927 when a Polish count was buried.

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This is a incomplete listing for St. Vincent's Cemetery.

Susan Arto b 5-18-1858 d Sept. 14,1866

Theodore F. Arto b 5-2-1864 d 10-7-1865

John Arto, Sr. age 54 d Sept. 29,1873 (Note, I have a 1870 aqua soda water bottle with the name JOHN ARTO- HOUSTON,TEXAS on it.)

Dick Dowling 1838-1867

Samuel Paschall 1815-1874