In 1860, Robert K. Gibbs donated three acres of land near this site for the establishment of Holly Springs Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Three years later, during the height of the Civil War, W. E. and Comelia J. Roberts deeded approximately three additional acres to create this community burial ground. The site has been enlarged over the years through later land acquisitions. The first person interred here was Susan M. Hanks (d.1863), wife of Hansford Hanks. Two tombstones, those of James W. Gray (d.1850) and Sarah C. Gray (d.1856), bear earlier death dates, but the grave sites were among those reinterred from the Ephriam Gray Graveyard in 1968. The Pioneer Gray Cemetery was originally located 2.5 miles northwest of Martin's Mill. The Holly Springs Cemetery has served residents of Martin's Mill (1.7 miles southwest) and surrounding rural communities for over a century. Individuals interred here include pioneer area settlers, church and community leaders, and military veterans. Still used, the historic cemetery serves as a reminder of the area's rich heritage. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986