88R33004 BPG-D
 
  By: Hughes S.R. No. 684
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Residents of Smith County are gathering at Mason
  Cemetery on June 4, 2023, for the dedication of an Official Texas
  Historical Marker from the Texas Historical Commission; and
         WHEREAS, In 2019, the commission named the burial ground a
  Historic Texas Cemetery; further documentation was provided to the
  commission, including photographs, maps, research, and written
  documented accounts, in order to qualify for this even more
  prestigious designation affirming the graveyard's significance in
  Texas history; and
         WHEREAS, The cemetery was established by early pioneers who
  settled in southeastern Smith County, and the oldest recorded
  headstone dates back to 1855; it served the community known as
  Canton, then Omen, and in modern times, Arp; through the years, it
  has expanded to make room for 1,800 marked graves; and
         WHEREAS, Among those buried in the cemetery in the 19th
  century are some members of the extended Mason family, as well as
  Civil War veterans; the tombstones also reflect associations with
  the Woodmen of the World, the Masons, and the Order of the Eastern
  Star; and
         WHEREAS, For more than 150 years, Mason Cemetery has served
  as a final resting place for the tenacious men and women who braved
  many hardships to forge a community, and this marker is a fitting
  tribute to the perseverance of those early settlers as well as to
  the contributions of all those who are interred there; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature
  hereby commemorate the dedication of the Official Texas Historical
  Marker for Mason Cemetery and commend all those involved in
  securing this recognition.