Texas State Cemetery

Address 909 Navasota St

The Texas State Cemetery on the east side of Austin is the state's equivalent of Arlington: the official burial ground for Texas heroes, governors, and notable citizens. Established in 1851, the cemetery covers about 18 acres of neatly maintained grounds in a historic neighbourhood east of Interstate 35.

The graves range from Republic of Texas veterans to Vietnam War soldiers, with stops at nearly every chapter of Texas history in between. The memorial to the veterans of the Texas Revolution is the oldest section; the more recent burials include Ann Richards, the memorable governor who told Texans things they didn't always want to hear. The cemetery is free to visit and open every day; a self-guided tour map is available at the visitor centre.

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A story
Stephen F. Austin, the founder of Anglo-American Texas, is buried here — moved to the cemetery in 1910 from the original grave in Brazoria County. His is the most visited grave, but the most striking monument may be that of Barbara Jordan: the first Black woman elected to Congress from the South, whose reburial here in 1996 was a recognition that the cemetery's role as Texas's pantheon extended beyond the 19th century.