Cactus Hill Cemetery
(Click
Here to go to All Headstone Pictures Online)
Cactus Hill Cemetery was located where Hunt’s Creek met the West Fork of the Trinity River. When Lake Bridgeport was built in the early 1930’s the graves where moved to East Bridgeport Cemetery. They are marked by a single large headstone near the west fence.
A new Historical Marker was placed at this headstone in 2009. There's also a new elementary school to the west of East Bridgeport cemetery now.
(The following is taken from Pioneer History of Wise County by Cliff D. Cates – Published 1907 and available for purchase at the Wise County Heritage Museum)
In early Wise County
history (1855) Colonel William Hudson Hunt had more land holdings than anyone in
the state of Texas. His land included the western half of Wise County and his
large ranch house was called Cactus Hill. He was regarded as one of the
"great cattle barons of the region".
Col. Hunt and his
wife, Catherine Cordelle Hunt, had several children and lived at Cactus Hill for
several years. Because of frequent Indian massacres in the area of their ranch,
the family moved to Decatur around 1859. Catherine Hunt died in 1861, and Col.
Hunt was killed in a dragging accident between Decatur and Bridgeport in 1864.
Belle Hunt, daughter of Col.
Hunt, was the first white child born in the western part of Wise County (picture
above). She became a nationally known poet and lived in New York. Her body was
returned to Cactus Hill to be buried.
The poem, below, is
engraved on the back of the "Hunt" headstone.
The headstone has information on 5 family members. See very bottom of page.
Unfinished. Fain would I sleep! I know not if the day Belle Hunt |
189 |
Crutchfield |
Elizabeth Hunt |
Dec 12, 1872 |
Headstone with Hunt's |
|
190 |
Hunt |
Lansing |
May 5, 1887 |
Buried at Los Angeles CA |
|
191 |
Shortridge |
Belle Hunt |
Nov 24, 1893 |
Wife of Samuel A |
|
192 |
Hunt |
William Hudson |
Jan 13, 1864 |
Headstone with Lansing & Catherine Hunt & Elizabeth Hunt Crutchfield & Belle Hunt Shortridge |
|
193 |
Hunt |
Catherine |
Apr 5, 1861 |
Wife of W.H. |