TEXAS STATE CEMETERY
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7th GRADE TOUR GUIDELINE
WELCOME
The Texas State Cemetery’s goals are to educate children of all ages on the importance of
preserving our past. Students will explore the grounds of the Cemetery to learn Texas history
through the people that are interred here. Students will examine the full scope of Texas history
from European exploration, colonization, revolution, to republic and statehood. Students will focus
on key individuals in each era who impacted the building of Texas. Students will also be able to
examine the rich and diverse cultural background of Texas by identifying those individuals of
different racial and ethnic groups that settled in Texas to build a republic and then a state; and
those individuals who continue to run the state today as a mayor, legislator, or governor.
This packet is designed to assist the student in helping them discover the Texas State Cemetery
before their visit. In addition, it is also a guideline to help you, the teacher, by giving some tools
that will help prepare your class for your visit to the Texas State Cemetery.
The activities in the packet will help students identify those people in the Texas State Cemetery
who have built communities, identify local government officials and how they are chosen, identify
characteristics of good citizenship, hear of folklore, identify individuals who have preserved
cultural heritage, and identify those individuals who have helped communities through science.
We look forward to your visit to the Texas State Cemetery and we are excited about sharing our
unique history with you and your class.
BEFORE YOUR VISIT --Some things to keep in mind
There are certain rules that must be followed during your visit at the Texas State Cemetery and some things that
you may wish to consider before your arrival. When you arrive, please check in at the visitors center and the staff
will help you organize your group before the start of the tour.
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Large groups may wish to arrive at least 10-15 minutes early for restroom and water breaks before the tour
begins.
This is a WALKING tour and can last 45 minutes to an hour. Please make sure you and your students wear
comfortable clothing and shoes.
Check the weather in the Austin area before you leave. You may need to bring rain gear or a coat.
Water bottles are allowed on the tour; however, no other drink nor food (including chewing gum) is allowed on the
grounds at any time. Please make lunch arrangements at a local park or other eating establishment prior to your
visit at the Texas State Cemetery.
There are no rubbings of any marker or monument allowed. Photographs are allowed.
Students are expected to be respectful of the markers and monuments. We ask that they not sit, stand, kick, or
climb on any of the historical markers that are in place in the Texas State Cemetery. Pencils and pens should be
kept at a distance from any historical marker or monument.
Please note that we are still an active cemetery and funerals are unexpected and happen on short notice.
Funerals take precedence over tours and you may be asked to reschedule. Please try to have an alternate date in
mind should this rare event occur.
If you have any further questions or special needs, please contact us at: 512-463-0605.
WHO AND WHAT WILL WE SEE?
The following is a list of individuals that students will
most likely encounter on their visit at the Texas State
Cemetery.
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French Sailor
Albert Sidney Johnston
Joanna Troutman
Walter Prescott Webb
Fred Gipson
Jim and Miriam (“Ma and Pa”) Ferguson
Dan Moody
“Bigfoot” Wallace
Stephen F. Austin
Barbara Jordan
Bob Bullock
Edward Burleson
Josiah Wilbarger
Judge Edwin Waller
Edmund J. Davis
Joel Robison
James Sylvester
Jesse Grimes
John Connally
“Peg Leg” Ward
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“Three-Legged Willie”
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Thomas Gazley
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Joseph H. Barnard
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Tom Landry
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Willie Wells
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Other monuments or areas that will be seen:
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Highway 165
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Medal of Honor Monument
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September 11th Monument
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Confederate Fields
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VE/VJ Monument
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Sometimes, due to time constraints, it will not be
possible to see everything listed here; however, the
staff makes every possible effort to include those
individuals and places listed above as well as any
special requests from visitors.
HOW DO I PREPARE MY CLASS FOR
OUR VISIT?
Visit our website
To familiarize the students with the Texas State Cemetery, teachers may wish to visit our web site at:
www.cemetery.state.tx.us
Our web site includes biographies and pictures of the people and their monuments. Students may
wish to read about a certain individual in order to become more familiar with who it is they will be
visiting at the cemetery. Our web site also includes pictures of the grounds and students will be able
to see the area before their visit.
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Talk about certain historical events
Students may not be familiar with certain events in Texas history so it may be beneficial to acquaint
your students with some of the facts regarding Texas history. You may want to briefly explain the
following topics:
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Texas Revolution –Specifically with the dates of March 2nd and April 21st. Also, briefly explain the Alamo and
Goliad.
Civil War –Specifically, what is the meaning of Confederate and Union, the dates 1861-1865, and
Reconstruction
Texas Legislature – Specifically, there are two chambers; the House and the Senate. House members are
called Representatives and Senate members are called Senators. Individuals that serve in either chamber
are called legislators.
September 11, 2001
HOW DO I PREPARE MY CLASS FOR
OUR VISIT?
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Do some of the included activities
These activities include discussion questions, a matching worksheet, and biographies
that students can read and then write a one page essay on the individual of their
choosing. If the teacher chooses, these may be turned in for participation grades or
individual grades.
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Tour questions are also included.
This activity may be saved for the actual time of your tour or completed after the tour in
your classroom. Students can take the form, fill it out as we go along, and turn it in to the
teacher for a grade.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
The objective is to help students develop an understanding of the purpose
of the Texas State Cemetery and will help prepare the students for their
visit. You may want to have students gather into groups, write their collective
answers on the handout and then discuss with the class their answers.
Ask the students if any of them have ever visited a cemetery.
Most will raise their hands, but ask them to describe their experience. Was
it to go to a funeral, was it to visit a relative that died, or was it to
conduct genealogical research? Most students who visit cemeteries go with
their parents to attend a funeral not realizing that a whole community is
interred on the grounds. The discussion should focus on the historical
significance and importance of cemeteries to preserve the past so future
generations know where they come from.
Also, discuss historical significance of the Texas State Cemetery. Discuss the
differences between other cemeteries the students have visited.
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The Texas State Cemetery honors people who have played an important role in Texas history. One of the ways to
honor a person is to put up a monument. How else might a cemetery honor someone?
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Headstones, sculptures, and cenotaphs are some of the different types of monuments we have at the Texas State
Cemetery. These markers come in all shapes and sizes and usually include the person’s name, birth and death
dates, and an epitaph (a brief statement on the person’s life). Why is it important to record this information?
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Fred Gipson’s epitaph reads, “his books are his monument”. What do you think this means? Have you seen other
epitaphs? If so, what did they read?
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A cenotaph is similar to a headstone, but it does not mark the location of burial. For example, Tom Landry has a
cenotaph at the Texas State Cemetery. Why do you think we would have a monument for him even though he is
not buried at the Cemetery?
SELECTED BIOGRAPHIES
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Have students choose an individual from one of the different eras
of Texas history represented at the Cemetery.
Then, have the students visit our website at:
www.cemetery.state.tx.us to find out more about their chosen
individual. Students may want to access the Handbook of Texas
(created by Walter Prescott Webb who is interred at the Texas
State Cemetery) at:
www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online to find out more about
their person.
Students can write a one page essay including the importance
that individual played in shaping Texas. When they get to the
Cemetery, they may want to tell the class about their findings, if
time permits, while standing next to the grave of the person they
researched.
BIOGRAPHIES
Suggested biographies include but are not limited to:
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Stephen F. Austin
General Edward Burleson
Joanna Troutman
Barbara Jordan
Volma Overton
Governor John Connally
Gideon Lincecum
Benjamin McCulloch
Edmund J. Davis
James Frank Dobie
James and Miriam Ferguson
Albert Sidney Johnston
Joseph Henry Barnard
Robert Alan Shivers
Bigfoot Wallace
Walter Prescott Webb
Ralph Webster Yarborough
MATCHING WORKSHEET
7th Grade—Matching Worksheet
Find the monuments of these Texas heroes and match each person with his or her lifetime achievements. Your best clues will
be the words that are underlined. Remember to look on the backs of monuments.
_____Ashbel Smith
A. Founded Waterloo, now Austin, TX and the first person to be buried in the
Texas State Cemetery.
_____J. Frank Dobie
B. Brought the first 300 families to Texas and is known as, “The Father of
Texas”.
_____Ma and Pa Ferguson C. Governor of Texas, Lt. Governor, and the youngest member to be elected
to the State Senate at age 27.
_____William Wallace
D. Served as governor three times and was wounded while riding in the
vehicle that JFK was assassinated.
_____Allan Shivers
E. Renowned Civil Rights leader, first black woman elected to the Texas
Senate. Teacher.
_____Joanna Troutman
F. Secretary of War and later fought in the Civil War as a general and died at the Battle of Shiloh in
1862.
_____John Connally
G. Historian and creator of the Handbook of Texas.
_____Edward Burleson
H. His Books Are His Monument and author of Old Yeller.
_____Josiah Wilbarger
I. Storyteller of the Southwest and professor at UT
_____Stephen F. Austin
J. Considered to have sewn the Republic’s first Lone Star flag that flew over Goliad.
_____Walter Prescott Webb K. Survivor of the Alamo with her babe in her arms she carried the news to Gen. Sam Houston.
_____Fred Gipson
L. Governors of the State of Texas and one of them was the first female governor.
_____William Ward
M. Nicknamed “Bigfoot” he carried the mail through Comanche territory and was a Republic of
Texas veteran.
_____Barbara Jordan
N. Lost a leg in the Siege of Bexar but went on to build the first capitol building for Texas. He
served as Austin’s mayor three times.
_____Albert S. Johnston
O. “Father of Texas Medicine” he was appointed surgeon general in the Army of the Republic and
served as a legislator, ambassador, educator and a military hero.
_____Susanna Dickinson
P. Came to Texas a second time with Stephen F. Austin and fought in the Battle of Velasco and was
a delegate to the Constitution in 1835. He also survived being scalped, living 11 more years.
ANSWERS TO MATCHING
WORKSHEET
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Ashbel Smith
J. Frank Dobie
Ma and Pa Ferguson
William Wallace
Allan Shivers
Joanna Troutman
John Connally
Edward Burleson
Josiah Wilbarger
Stephen F. Austin
Walter Prescott Webb
Fred Gipson
William Ward
Barbara Jordan
Albert Sidney Johnston
Susanna Dickinson
TOUR QUESTIONS
7th Grade—Tour Questions
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Who was the first person to be buried in the Texas State Cemetery? Name one of his accomplishments.
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What purpose does the Columbarium Wall serve? What type of stone is it comprised of?
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What is the name of the road that runs through the Cemetery’s grounds and what is its posted speed limit?
4.
Where did most of the Confederate Veterans that are buried in Confederate Field live before being buried in
the Cemetery?
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How did Albert Sidney Johnston die? Who sculpted the statue?
6.
Name one of the five southern senators to vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
7.
Name the only husband and wife that served as governors of the state of Texas.
8.
Who carried a mail route through Comanche territory?
9.
What Texas governor ran as both Democrat and Republican in the 1950s? What were his supporters called?
10.
Who was the first African-American female to serve in the Texas Senate? What else is she known for?
11.
What year did Governor John Connally run for president and under what party did he run?
12.
What did baseball hall of famer Willie Wells “invent” that is used by baseball players today?
ANSWERS TO TOUR QUESTIONS
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Edward Burleson. Answers may include: San Jacinto Veteran, VicePresident of the Republic, served in both the Texas House and Senate,
laid out the town of Waterloo which became Austin.
To hold the ashes of those cremated. Pink Granite.
HWY 165. 15 mph.
Confederate Men’s Home.
A bullet to the back of his right leg. Elisabet Ney.
Ralph Yarborough
Ma and Pa Ferguson
Bigfoot Wallace
Allan Shivers. Shivercrats.
Barbara Jordan. Answers may include: orator, booming voice, great
diction, teacher, lawyer, civil rights leader, carried copy of Constitution
with her, Watergate hearings.
1980. Republican.
Batting helmets.
OTHER INFORMATION
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Our address is:
Texas State Cemetery
909 Navasota
Austin, TX 78702
We’re located off of 11th Street; just one mile
southeast of the Capitol Building
Our phone number is:
512-463-0605
And our fax number is:
512-463-8811
Our web site is:
www.cemetery.state.tx.us
Our email address is:
statecemetery@tbpc.state.tx.us
Published in 2006 by The Texas State Cemetery