San Saba County Historical Commission

Shiloh Cemetery

A Texas Historic Cemetery


Location:       
     The Shiloh Cemetery is located in northwest San Saba County in the community of Shiloh about five miles north of Richland Springs.  The cemetery is situated about a stone’s throw to the south of the intersection of CR 229 and CR 246.

GPS:   Latitude:  31. 3319o N           Longitude:  98. 9118o W

Direction:       From the town of Richland Springs off of U. S. Highway 190

  • Turn north onto FM 45 and go north 4.6 miles to Shiloh Cemetery sign and CR 229.
  • Turn right onto CR 229 (unpaved) and go east 2.2 miles to the intersection of county roads 229 and 246.
  • Turn right onto CR 246.  The Shiloh Cemetery is located on the right about 60 yards south of the intersection.

Condition:    
              
            The Shiloh community, once known as Pumpkin Center, was established in the mid 1880’s. The date of the first burial in the community cemetery is not known since most of the graves are marked only with native sandstone rocks without inscriptions.  The oldest extant gravestone with an inscription is that of an infant who died in 1892.  Apparently the plot was abandoned as a burial ground in the late 1920’s and has been neglected over the past seventy or more years.  On a first attempt to inventory this cemetery in 2008 it was found to be completely consumed by tall grass, cacti, thorn bushes, tangled briars and mesquite brush.  However, in December of 2009, Steve Brown, his father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Brown, with the help of neighbor Roy Shannon, cleared the cemetery of briars, tall grass and underbrush.  Steve Brown then did an inventory of gravesites complete with photographs of all tombstones and grave markers.  A report of his work is available for study in the history section of the Rylander Memorial Library in San Saba, Texas.

                          The cemetery is on the south slope of a hillside.  It is an area of about one-half acre, enclosed on the north, south and west (pasture sides) by a sturdy four feet high eight strand barbed wire fence with steel posts.  On the east side, which fronts on county road 246, there is what remains of an old four strand barbed wire fence.  Entrance to the cemetery can be gained at mid-point in the east fence line where the four strands of barbed wire have been trampled down so that the wire can be stepped over for entering the cemetery.  At this point there is a ramp constructed of road-base gravel that leads up from the road edge into the cemetery.  The only parking space available is on the road along the east side of the cemetery.
        The new sign was constructed by Tom Alston.