A leading citizen, Elijah Rains (1813-1889), who came to Texas from Tennessee in 1848, gave this burial ground to the public. Duck Creek people soon joined the Prairie people in its use. The earliest known burial was Walter Pirtle, date uncertain. The grave of Samuel E. Lightsey (1827-1872) has the oldest marker. Veterans of the Civil War and later conflicts are buried here. The cemetery association was formed in 1928. In 1957, Gilbert Sterling Ross added a donation of one acre to the original 5-acre plot. Annual Memorial Day services honor some 600 marked graves.