Work proceeds on Corpus Christi's Old Bayview Cemetery

Next March the Texas State Historical Association will hold its annual conference in Corpus Christi.  Delegates will travel here from throughout the state.  Local historian and author Mary Jo O’Rear is a conference planner.

Among the many offerings will be a historical re-enactment at the Old Bayview Cemetery, with participants donning period clothing.

This is a clear example of how history can support tourism here — as does bird watching in America’s “birdiest city.”  We should always be exploring niche tourism opportunities for filling hotels, packing restaurants and enticing shopping at our many retail outlets. There are seven historical markers at the cemetery and three on the way.

The program at Old Bayview in March will begin with a walking tour from a downtown hotel to the historic cemetery, founded in 1845 when Zachary Taylor’s troops, some 4,000 strong, were encamped here, establishing Corpus Christi as a military town. The tour will include highlights of the history of the downtown/uptown area.

Karen Howden, who as a volunteer leads the effort to preserve the cemetery, will make arrangements for the event at the cemetery and I will lead the tour there. 

I caught up with Karen last Saturday at the cemetery when she was directing a group of about 30 volunteers from the Naval Air Station who, for the second time this year, have provided general cleanup of the old tombstones and have reset several that had been toppled. The cemetery is city-owned so this type of support is greatly needed and appreciated.

Michael Clayton, RPC Select, U.S. Navy, who lost a brother in Iraq on Christmas day 2006, led the group in the “Sailor’s Creed.”  There were other volunteers present and some with an association with the military.  Longtime member of the Nueces County Historical Society Debbie Zuniga and her husband Arnold were present.  Both their sons served in Iraq.

For these young Navy selectees, as pointed out to me by a group leader from the NAS, their volunteer work is intended to be a lesson in humility and in learning to serve the community.

Karen has spent eight years advocating for and succeeding in preserving the old cemetery.  She is a retired Flour Bluff Independent School District American history teacher and believes that a walk through this cemetery is a good way to learn history.

There are, for example, burials from the Civil War era and the yellow fever scourge. The military record of two, John Dix and William Hoffman, date to the War of 1812.  A historical marker next to Dix’s grave tells his story.  The notice of Hoffman’s death appeared in the “New York Daily Tribune,” December 29, 1845.  Ethan Allen Hitchcock, famous military diarist, recorded Hoffman’s death, noting “Corpus Christi Nov. 28, 1845.  Lt. Col. Hoffman 5th Infy aged about 65 died yesterday in the morning & was buried with the honors of war yesterday p.m.”

My interest in Old Bayview began as a teenager. A high school teacher mentioned the significance of the cemetery so a friend and I decided to explore it.

Then there were so many more tombstones. Unfortunately, so many have fallen victim to time and vandalism. The cemetery’s significance in the larger American story is why Karen’s leadership is vital. She recently acquired a private donation to undertake a ground-penetrating report, which found 92 anomalies, likely unmarked graves.

Karen took the helm at the right time. Rosa Gonzales and Geraldine McGloin, who had contributed hundreds of volunteer hours documenting the history of the cemetery and early pioneers of the city, had passed away. 

Fortunately, another researcher, Monsignor Michael A. Howell, is still active and is credited with having identified dozens of soldiers with Taylor’s army who died here and are likely buried there — unknown for more than 150 years until Monsignor Howell meticulously researched records of the National Archives.  All the information collected is available on a website.

Gonzales, McGloin and Howell too followed others. As early as the mid-19th century, local newspapers and citizens were complaining about the condition of the cemetery and pleading for its care. 

The venerable Eli T. Merriman, one of the founders of the Corpus Christi Caller, in 1883 wrote a series in the “Caller” relating stories of the city’s early pioneers buried there and advocating for its proper maintenance. At one point he took charge of the cemetery and collected donations to employ a caretaker part time. 

Karen Howden carries on a long tradition. Last Saturday she brought it full circle. What began as a military cemetery in 1845 was receiving care from current military personnel. 

Herb Canales is a fifth-generation Corpus Christi resident. He served as the city of Corpus Christi's library director for 27 years.