Sandy Mountain Cemetery

The Cemetery is maintained by a local Association currently led by Lou Henson. Please contact him for more information. Email:  lahenson47@gmail.com or syblou215@gmail.com

Below is a document about the history of the cemetery written by Lillian Fowler in 2001

SANDY MOUNTAIN CEMETARY

(Originally the Wootan Family Graveyard)

Compiled by Lillian Fowler, July 2001

Sandy Mountain is a hill which rises above the surrounding terrain beside Sandy Creek in Southeastern Llano County, Texas near the mouth of the creek as it flows into the Colorado River.  In the 1850’s as settlers migrated into the area the farmers and ranchers named the community “Sandy Mountain”. No record has been found of any church in the area, but according to Judge Wilburn Oatman, Sr. in his book, “Llano, Gem of the Hill Country, A History of Llano County, Texas” on March 17, 1859, the Post Office at Sandy Mountain was established with Mr. Francis M. Hodges being appointed Postmaster. On October 1, 1860, Mr. William E. Wootan became Postmaster, and six years later on November 5, 1866, the Post Office was discontinued. It was re-established on October 19, 1874, with Samuel W. Tate as Postmaster. There is no record of the location of the earlier post offices, but the latter was located in the Samuel Tate home along with a general store. This home was about 4 miles from the cemetery and according to his granddaughter, Martha Phillips Hallford, Mr. Tate carried produce to Austin in wagons to trade for supplies for his store. The old house was moved and rebuilt at the Pioneer Farm in Austin, Texas (donated by the Lyndon B. Johnson family). Only a portion of the chimney remains where the house stood.

Susan Tate Phillips, daughter of Samuel W. Tate, related stories about the Tate Children riding on horseback four or five miles to school for a few months each year. It is not known where this school was located, but it is possible that it could have been the same building or in the same location as the school Alline H. Elliott, author of “Rural Schools in Llano County” mentioned in her records. She stated that it was “after 1893 that trustees formed the rural school district No. 10 called the Sandy Mountain School District”, This one room board and batten school house was located just across the road north of the Cemetery, and it served the community sometime in the 1930’s when schools in Llano County were consolidated after which the school building was demolished or moved to another location.

The Llano County Courthouse burned in 1892, and many of the records were destroyed, but according to the earliest deeds found, on January 1, 1874, a Mr. D. P. Allen deeded to Mr. William E. Wootan a portion of land out of the Middleton M. Hill League, but it is uncertain how many acres were deeded at this time. On January 7, 1874, Mr. William E, Wootan sold 800 acres of land from the Middleton M. Hill League, #360, survey no #104 to Mr. G. Solomon, “with exception of one acre of land reserved by William E. Wootan for (a word not discernible) to his heirs and assigns etc…”. On the 11th day November 1875, Mr. G. Solomon signed a deed to Mr. Benjamin Phillips for the above property “with exception of one acre of land reserved by G. Solomon for Wootan’s family graveyard”.

The oldest marked grave in this cemetery is for a child, Marion Walter Allen, son of D.P. and M.M. Allen. One of the older graves is marked “Mary M. Wootan, born September 28, 1823, died July 13, 1875”. She was the wife of William E. Wootan, according to family record of Mrs. Mary Fay Wallace of Llano, Texas.  Mrs. Wallace’s great-grandmother, a daughter of the Wootan’s, is also buried nearby. She was Cornelia I. Cates, wife of Rev. R.F. Cates. She was born July 25, 1850, and died February 24, 1876.

Benjamin Phillips who served in the Texas Revolution and with the Texas Rangers, and his wife Melissa Crownover Phillips who came to Texas with Austin’s first colony, are also buried in this cemetery.  The graves of Samuel W. Tate and his wife Martha and a number of their descendants are some of the older graves marked.

Nothing is known about the unmarked graves recognized by large stones, but some of the “old timers” of the community stated that there we “squatters” buried in this cemetery, possibly people who were traveling through this part of Texas in the early days.

The Sandy Mountain Cemetery is located in what is now the city of Sunrise Beach, incorporated in 1973. The cemetery measures 198 feet by 220 feet which is exactly one acre, and there are 216 graves within the fenced area. A chain link fence and sign over the entrance gate were erected in the 1960’s and part of the enclosed area is reserved for descendants of earlier settlers. Many of the veterans of the Texas Revolution, World War I, Word War II, and the Korean War buried here.

A Cemetery Association was formed in 1980, and the cemetery is cleaned each year by volunteers. Each Spring the ground here is covered with beautiful Texas wildflowers. The land surrounding the cemetery, which was originally ranch land, has been developed and sold to individuals in small plots. The cemetery is located at 106 Circle Drive, facing North. On the east side the land is owned by Mr. Douglas Fink, 3206 Western Drive, Austin TX 78745-4618. The owner on the south side is Mr. John E. Vandeveer, 6600 Kings Crown E., San Anotnio, TX 78233-4721, and on the west side the owner is Mr. Ernest H. Oliver, 5295 C Dacy Lane, Buda, TX 78510