|
Llano Cemetery
Historical
Marker
Submitted
by Rhondelle A. Blankenship, Llano Cemetery |
Llano Cemetery
By Mark Blankenship
The
history of Llano Cemetery is much more than a statistical recording
of burials. Though it has a beginning, it will have no ending. For
the history of Llano Cemetery is ongoing — it is one generation
after another of families dedicated to its care and preservation.
In 1888, the Morrow family was traveling through the Amarillo
area when their young daughter, Lillian, died. The child was buried
on a 20-acre plot of land southeast of Amarillo
owned by T. B. and Hattie Clisbee. Three years later, in 1891, Potter
County purchased the 20-acre plot from the Clisbees for $400.
This plot became known as the Amarillo Cemetery.
Care for the cemetery was provided by a group of dedicated ladies
who tended the cemetery as an act of love and community service. They
pulled weeds, raked, planted flowers and shrubs, and watered the grass.
In 1901, these women formed a permanent cemetery association. Funds
used to purchase seed and supplies were raised by a $1 membership
fee and dues of 25 cents per year. For more than 13 years, the women
who belonged to the association handled the maintenance.
By 1920, the population of Amarillo
had grown to 15,494. Amarillo had transformed from a frontier town
into a center for education, business, and culture. Saloons, general
stores, livery stables, and blacksmith shops had been replaced by
the city's first hospital, parks, an opera house, and a public library.
The original 20-acre plot had filled up, and more land was needed.
On November 10, 1921, Judge Browning mailed a set of official papers
to Austin. Later that day,
he participated in a game of chess at the Elks Club before returning
to his apartment. Sometime in the night, Judge Browning died in his
sleep. The Texas Legislature approved the charter for Llano Cemetery
Association on November 12 — the same day that Judge Browning
was buried at Llano Cemetery.
The
improvements at Llano Cemetery started as a small-scale project, the
scope of which broadened quickly, as community leaders began to support
the initiative and area businesses donated materials, supervisory
labor, and money. A number of family mausoleums were constructed in
the 1920s, including the Henry P. and Mary O. Canode and the John
M. Shelton family mausoleums. |
 |
Llano Pantheon Mausoleum
Submitted
by Rhondelle A. Blankenship, Llano Cemetery |
One of the larger
projects at Llano involved the construction and financing of the Llano
Pantheon Mausoleum, which took place between 1927 and 1929. The Pantheon
was designed by Sidney Lowell, Sr., of Chicago and was constructed
of Bedford stone, a stone known for its endurance. Local architect
Joseph Champ Berry was the project supervisor.
The project involved significant fundraising and advance sales of
rooms and crypts to pioneers, including Colonel Herring, Mrs. Oliver-Eakle,
and Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Hardin. The Great Depression slowed sales and
collection of subscriptions. Mr. W. H. Fuqua advanced $62,000 to pay
off the balance of the construction contract.
Between 1920 and 1930, Amarillo's
population increased 177 percent to 43,132. This large increase was
due in part to the discovery and development of oil and gas in the
Panhandle. Despite the rapid decline in the local economy during the
Depression, the cemetery association was able to make extensive improvements
and additions to the cemetery. Beginning in 1933, a project involving
construction and landscaping was largely financed by two New Deal
programs: the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and the Civilian
Conservation Corps. The RFC was designed primarily to assist credit
institutions such as banks, but its funds could also be used to relieve
unemployment, as could those of the CCC, which was designed to relieve
unemployment. |
 |
J.
O. Guleke Plaque
Llano Cemetery
Submitted
by Rhondelle A. Blankenship, Llano Cemetery
|
Amarillo's
RFC committee was headed by James O. Guleke, a prominent attorney.
Committee members included Wilbur Hawk of the Globe News, W. H. Fuqua
of the First National Bank, and Fred DeCoster of the Community Chest.
The Llano board was actively involved and included R. B. Masterson,
M. C. Nobles, J. O. Guleke, Otis Trulove, W. H. Fuqua, J. E. Nunn,
H. P. Canode, and George Parr.
The
improvements at Llano Cemetery started as a small-scale project, the
scope of which broadened quickly as community leaders began to support
the initiative and area businesses donated materials, supervisory
labor, and money.
The RFC project employed 40 men in the first three days. More men
were added each week until the project employed 1,200 laborers. RFC
paid only wages. Materials, tools, and supervisory personnel were
donated.
Major C. A. Grover donated his services as general foreman. Mrs. E.
W. Hardin chaired the landscaping committee. Planting designs were
done at the site by J.O. Guleke, landscaper Albert Bruce and architect
Guy Carlander. Albert Randall was the general contractor for the new
buildings, which included the administration building, superintendent's
cottage, and pump house.
D. L. McDonald, of the Amarillo City Water Department, drilled an
irrigation well. H. R. Smith and Cecil Boulden, of the City Engineering
Department, donated equipment and services to survey the roads and
water lines. Plumbing equipment and installation was supplied by Dempster
Mill Manufacturing Co., Axtell Co., Morrison Supply Co., and Clowe
and Cowan. H. A. Hertner supervised the plumbing work. |
 |
Llano Cemetery Administation Building
Click
on image to enlarge
Submitted
by Rhondelle A. Blankenship, Llano Cemetery
|
Margaret Seewald Robert Artwork
Llano Cemetery Administration Building
Submitted
by Rhondelle A. Blankenship, Llano Cemetery |
Margaret Seewald
Roberts created and donated interior artwork and carved beams in the
administration building. This artwork included a mural that hangs
over the fireplace and depicts the history of the Llano Estacado from
the days of the Plains Indians to the 1926 oil boom and the modern
technology of the early 1930s.
Two additions have been made to the Llano Pantheon. In 1949, an entrance
was added to the building and a four-story tower was constructed on
the east side, uniting the old and new wings. In 1961, the association
launched another beautification project with the addition of a new
17-acre plot between the 1933 gate (which is near the administration
building) and 27th Avenue. The Pantheon's 1964 addition was constructed
completely underground. It was designed by Sam McClesky of Atlanta,
Georgia. John Hannon was associate architect. Floyd Richards was contractor.
Information for this history was obtained from the Statement of Significance
prepared by the Texas Historical Commission about the 52 acres in
the Llano Cemetery Historic District, which is listed in the National
Register of Historic Places. Quoting the ending statement: "Initially
a treeless 20-acre rural graveyard with rough native grasses and a
formal gridiron plan, the Llano Cemetery doubled in size by the 1930s
and became a naturalistic 'oasis' defined by curving roads, rustic
and revival styles of architecture with imported trees, shrubs and
grasses. What was simply a place to bury the dead, became a park as
well and thus a living monument to the pioneers of Amarillo."
Mark Blankenship was the Executive Director of Amarillo's Llano Cemetery.
Written December 12, 2014 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage or recent photos, please contact
us. |
|
|
HOME
