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Contact Darrell or Karen for more information at 972-562-5466 |
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The land
surrounding this historic cemetery was part of a grant obtained by John
McGarrah, who came from Tennessee with his wife and family in 1842
as members of the Peters Colony. The third settler in present
Collin County, McGarrah founded a trading post to barter for hides and
furs. While in the act of building a family fort, he and his men
had to defend themselves from roaming hostile Indians. Soon the
Fort Buckner settlement was established. It would later become the
first county seat of Collin County. David William O'Brian (1808-1885) came to Collin County with his family in 1857. He eventually acquired the part of the McGarrah land which included this site. The Buckner Cemetery, which was established on the O"Brain land, has also been reffered to as O"Brian Cemetery over the years. Although there may be earlier unmarked graves, the oldest documented burial is that of Franklin O'Brian (1851-1870). Many early pioneers of Collin County are interred here, including victims of a smallpox epidemic in the 1870s. According to local tradition, a Kiowa Indian named Spotted Tail also lies here in an unmarked grave. The only physical remnant of the Buckner community, this cemetery serves as a reminder of the early history of Collin County. (1988)
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