Corpus Christi History: Old Bayview Cemetery Comes Alive with the “Voices of South Texas” on November 5

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – Mark your calendar to attend the 13^th annual “Voices of South Texas” - Old Bayview Cemetery Comes Alive” event this Saturday, November 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1150 Ramirez Street. This event is for all ages. Admission is free.

The Old Bayview Cemetery is Texas’ first federal military cemetery. It was founded in 1845 by Colonel E.U. Hitchcock during General Zachary Taylor’s military encampment in Corpus Christi.

The event will feature self-guided tours, live folk music, and a demonstration of a frontier battalion. In addition to storytelling and re-enactments, visitors can also learn about the people buried at the cemetery by scanning the QR codes on placards posted by tombstones.

“You can walk through Old Bayview Cemetery and learn America’s history, starting with the War of 1812, the Texas Revolution, the War with Mexico, the Civil War, the Indian Campaigns and the Spanish-American War. Join us as we dedicate the newest Texas Historical Commission marker for Reuben Holbein,” said Karen Howden, President of the Friends of Old Bayview Cemetery Association.

This year, the “Voices of South Texas” is hosted by the Friends of Old Bayview Cemetery Association, the Nueces County Historical Commission, the Nueces County Commissioners Court, the Corpus Christi Parks & Recreation Department, the Corpus Christi Public Libraries and Humanities Texas. This program is made possible partly by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

HISTORICAL FACTS ABOUT OLD BAYVIEW CEMETERY:

• First U.S. military cemetery in Texas, founded in 1845 on the eve of the U.S.-Mexican War
• Over 600 individuals are buried at the Old Bayview Cemetery
• Adjacent to the campsite of General Zachary Taylor’s Army of Occupation in 1845
• Veterans from the War of 1812 through the Spanish-American War were laid to rest here
• Inducted into the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service on October 21, 2020

For more information about this event and this significant cemetery, visit the website, view the slideshow and review the resource links provided. Connect on social media for updates.