Young's Cemetery

I think cemeteries are interesting. There's always little tidbits of history that you can pick up by looking around, especially in the very old ones. There is an especially unique cemetery in Plano, Texas, because it's old and it's got an odd location.

Young's cemetery was established in 1847 by Sam Young, a settler who moved to Collin County Texas from Illinois in 1842. The first burial was his wife, Patience Young, whose gravestone is the second oldest in Plano.

The cemetery is surrounded on two sides by an apartment complex, seen in the photo to the left, and on two sides by a public golf course, seen in the photo below. The only way to access the cemetery is through the apartment complex grounds. It lies at the rear of the property, next to a dog park and playground for the tenants.

The cemetery is often littered with stray golf balls. I picked up eleven on one trip. As you can tell in the photo to the left, golfers drive up on carts very close to the perimeter of the cemetery. You can hear them laughing and joking as they play, and I can only imagine that it's a weird experience for them as well.

Young died in 1891, and stipulated that anyone who wished to be buried in the cemetery could be laid to rest there. The last person to take up that offer was John Young, interred in 1928.

The grave of Sam Young and his second wife, Charity Ann Young.

The grave of Thomas Finley, a veteran of the War of 1812. You won't find many gravestones designating veterans of a war so early in American history in this part of Texas. I tried to find out a little more about Finley, but came up empty.

The cemetery is a registered Historical Landmark in Texas. Despite all the activity around it, it's a very peaceful place. There is a scatter garden filled with purple flowers and I think it's still being used. The entire cemetery is covered by large trees, so it's shaded and feels as cozy as a graveyard can be. Someone is taking care of it, though the grass is a little tall.

If you're in Plano and like old cemeteries, Young's Cemetery is an interesting stop.