Plummers Cemetery Project

Background

Located at 1150 Springdale Road in City Council District 1, Plummers Cemetery, an 8-acre property, is a historically African American, Upper South folk cemetery, containing family plots, handmade markers, and examples of art and craft. The development of Plummers Cemetery is largely a matter of speculation today, as the records available are limited. It was likely established prior to 1898, the death year of Jack Jones, possibly the first person interred in the cemetery with a marker.

The cemetery may have been known as Mount Calvary Cemetery, not to be confused with another Mount Calvary Cemetery (located elsewhere in the city). The cemetery was named for Thomas P. Plummer (1860–1926), an African American Texas native who owned a farm in Travis County and later worked as the cemetery sexton.

The City of Austin acquired Plummers Cemetery in 1957 as a condition of the purchase of land for Givens Park. Over time, the aging grave markers, many of which were handmade markers, have been lost, leaving the location of many burials unknown.

This project aims to update cemetery records so that the Parks and Recreation Department Cemetery Operations can better manage the space with more accuracy.

Project Description

The City of Austin partnered with Texas A&M University to conduct research on determining the locations of unknown burials at Plummers Cemetery. Not much is known about Plummers, and even less is known about how many burials exist in this space. 

Texas A&M used ground penetrating radar (GPR) to find the perimeters of each grave below the ground surface. GPR uses high frequency radio waves to detect change in the soil. GPR has been used across the country to relocate lost graves and was used during the Oakwood Chapel in the 2017 rehabilitation to determine where the caskets of the deceased were located.

Anticipated Timeline

The surveying of the cemetery using ground penetrating radar began in November 2023 and concluded in Spring of 2024. Texas A&M University continues to finalize a diagnostic report. Once the report is finalized, it will be made available to the public. 

The pending results of this report will be examined by Parks and Recreation Cemetery Operations and future plans will be developed.

Contact Information

For questions or more information, you can contact Ryan Dees, Environmental Program Coordinator with Cemetery Operations, by phone at (512) 978-2320 or by email at Ryan.Dees@austintexas.gov.