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HIGHLAND CEMETERY - MELISSA

CR364
33.312N
96.569W

Cemeteries of Collin County, Texas, Joy Gough 

There was once a community here called Highland that preceded Anna. According to A TOWN NAMED ANNA, at its height, Highland consisted of the post office, a gin, a grist mill, a church building, a school, and several residences. It was hit by tornadoes twice.

The church building housed Friendship Baptist Church, among other denominations. Friendship was one of the earliest Baptist churches in the county. It was an off-shoot of Rowlett Creek Baptist Church. The Friendship Church later became Anna Baptist Church. The deed for the cemetery is listed in Vol 113, p 497. It is for 3 acres. The land for the church and cemetery was donated by Dr. Charles H. Wysong, who established the Wysong Clinic. The Highland community disappeared after the railroad bypassed it. The towns of Anna and Melissa were developed by the railroads.

This is a large cemetery with at least 500 graves. It is not fenced but it has a brick entrance way. It is well maintained and is currently in use. There is a cemetery association for the cemetery. The cemetery has a historical marker.

This cemetery was vandalized in July of 1995 when someone tried to destroy the brick entrance.

Historical Marker 1985

HIGHLAND CEMETERY

THE HIGHLAND COMMUNITY WAS

ESTABLISHED IN THEM;ID-1800S AS A

STOP ON THE STAGE ROUTE BETWEEN

BUCKNER (APPROX. 3 MI. W OF THE

PRESENT SITE OF McKINNEY) AND

BONHAM. AN EARLY SETTLER, CHARLES

H. WYSONG, DONATED 3 ACRES OF

LAND FOR A COMMUNITY CHURCH,

SCHOOL, AND CEMETERY IN 1858. THE

FIRST MARKED GRAVE, THAT OF ROBERT

STROTHER, IS DATED 1861. MANY NORTH

CENTRAL COLLIN COUNTY PIONEERS

AND THEIR DESCENDANTS ARE BURIED

HERE. THE GRAVEYARD IS CARED

FOR BY THE HIGHLAND CEMETERY

ASSOCIATION, ORGANIZED MORE THAN

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

Highland

Melissa

 CEMETERY INDEX

Recommended citation:
Highland Cemetery - Melissa, "CEMETERIES OF COLLIN COUNTY." Collin County, Texas History and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc.,  <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl> [Accessed Fri February 13, 2004 ].

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Last modified: March 27, 2004