Scurry County Historical Commission

Scurry County Historical Commission The Scurry County Historical Commission works to preserve and promote our county’s heritage. We ask all to follow these guidelines
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Good Marker Monday. Happy Labor Day. Today we are going to visit the Snyder Cemetery located on 802 Avenue E, not to b...
09/07/2026

Good Marker Monday. Happy Labor Day. Today we are going to visit the Snyder Cemetery located on 802 Avenue E, not to be confused with the Old Snyder Cemetery at the intersection of Ave E and Hwy 180. The Snyder Cemetery in Snyder, Texas, is designated as a Historic Texas Cemetery due to its historical significance and early establishment. Over 7500 are laid to rest in this cemetery.

Historical Background

The cemetery was officially established in 1891, but records indicate burials dating back to 1880. One of the cemeteries records shows Martha Amy Wood Bennett Patterson was buried at this cemetery May 1880.

It is recognized for its role in the community, serving as a burial site for early settlers and transients, some of whom were buried in unmarked graves.

Designation

The Texas Historical Commission grants the Historic Texas Cemetery designation to preserve and recognize cemeteries of historical importance. The cemetery features a medallion and plate indicating its historic status, which was awarded in 2001. This designation helps protect the cemetery and acknowledges its role in Texas history.

Volumes of History can be written about the people laid to rest in this cemetery. The first Sherriff of Scurry County, 1884, was W. W. "Uncle Billy" Nelson. He authorized the first "Calaboose" (jail)—a frame structure only 8 x 10 x 8 feet. Uncle Billy resigned after 6 months since cowboys were an unruly lot. He is buried in this cemetery along with his dog Trixie. The next Sheriff was T. J. Faught. T. J. Faught is buried in this cemetery and his grave contains a historic marker about his career. O.P. "Pack" Wolf, who served as Marshal of Snyder 1906-1926 is also buried at this cemetery. He, also, has a historical marker about his life. (Unfortunately it has been stolen, but will be replaced by the Scurry County Historical Commission.)

This Cemetery contains stories from the 1880s to the present. There are 560+ veterans markers, but we know there are many more veterans that did not receive their markers that are buried in this cemetery. If you have a relative that was a veteran but does not have his/her Veteran Marker, leave us a message and Jean Burns from our local DAR chapter will contact you and give you help in acquiring the veteran's marker for your veteran. It's important that you provide this marker for your veteran so generations to come will know he/she served.

Many generations of families are buried in this cemetery. For example, Scurry County Commissioner PCT 2 Doug Scott, (who by the way also restored the Historic Cemetery Marker and T. J. Faught's markers recently) has family dating back many generations that are buried in this cemetery. Many of the families have family plots with many generations within those lots.

Also at this cemetery you will find memorials to service members that are Missing In Action. They did not return home, but either a memorial stone or bench has been placed at this cemetery to remember them until they do return home. Grady Walton, MIA, has a memorial bench. Charles Howard Merritt, MIA, has a headstone.

For the past 146 years, this Snyder Cemetery has been the final resting place for thousands of Scurry County and Snyder residents. How many generations of your family is laid to rest in this cemetery?

I got another opportunity to go between the walls today to see our 1911 structure. I love the columns, the top of the c...
09/01/2026

I got another opportunity to go between the walls today to see our 1911 structure. I love the columns, the top of the columns are beautiful. I also love those arches, the brickwork is pretty. It was super 🥵🥵 though between the walls. We have a unique courthouse. It's very well protected. 🥵

Marker Monday takes us to a new marker on the square, the Ritz Community Theatre . The Ritz will host our Smithsonian M...
09/01/2026

Marker Monday takes us to a new marker on the square, the Ritz Community Theatre . The Ritz will host our Smithsonian Museum on Mainstreet starting Oct. 3rd. In addition to this exhibit at the Ritz, there are lots of activities being planned during its 6 weeks stay at the Ritz.
The following Ritz description has been borrowed from the Snyder Spark: Places of Innovation - Fall 2026 - be sure to check out the events.

For more than a century, the Ritz has been a place where the Snyder community comes together to be entertained, inspired, and connected.

The building's story began as The Reel, before becoming The Cozy Theatre in 1917 under T.L. Lollar. More than just a movie house, the Cozy hosted community events, including Red Cross benefit screenings during World War I, and quickly became a gathering place for the growing town.

Following T.L. Lollar's passing in 1928, the theatre continued under the management of P.W. Cloud. Then, in 1929, after extensive renovations, it officially reopened as the Ritz Theatre, welcoming audiences with a new ticket window, modern projection equipment, improved seating, and an illuminated electric marquee. The opening feature was The California Mail, starring Ken Maynard.

As Snyder's oil boom transformed the community in the decades that followed, the Ritz became a cornerstone of downtown life. Oral histories even tell of oilfield workers sleeping in the theatre's balcony because housing was in such short supply.

Although the theatre eventually closed, the story didn't end there. In 1992, the building was donated to Ritz Community Theatre, Inc., and through the dedication of countless volunteers and supporters, it was restored as a performing arts venue. Today, it once again serves as a gathering place for the community.

This fall, that tradition continues as the Ritz Community Theatre proudly hosts Smithsonian's SPARK! Places of Innovation, welcoming visitors from October 3 through November 15. It is a fitting home for an exhibit that celebrates the people, places, and ideas that shape rural communities, because the Ritz has been doing exactly that for generations.

📜 Newspaper clippings courtesy of the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University.
📷 Historic marker photo courtesy of the Ritz Community Theatre.

Thank you Scurry County families for sharing your stories at our celebration. If you haven't read their stories, be sur...
08/26/2026

Thank you Scurry County families for sharing your stories at our celebration. If you haven't read their stories, be sure to go by the museum to read these stories. Celebrating Scurry County 150!

Laurie sent this picture, look closely you will see our first gazebo. This is an interesting picture. They are celebra...
08/25/2026

Laurie sent this picture, look closely you will see our first gazebo. This is an interesting picture. They are celebrating the Texas centennial, Scurry County would be 60. Thank you Laurie Roland .

The family stories are displayed at our Scurry County Museum. If you didn't get a chance to read them last week, now is...
08/25/2026

The family stories are displayed at our Scurry County Museum. If you didn't get a chance to read them last week, now is your chance. These families went back to 100+ years in Scurry County. Thank you for sharing your stories Scurry County families.

Good morning Marker Monday. This morning I thought I would show our newest marker, our Scurry County 150 marker which l...
08/24/2026

Good morning Marker Monday. This morning I thought I would show our newest marker, our Scurry County 150 marker which lies on a rock from the Koonsman's ranch here in Scurry County. A year ago our Scurry County Historical Commission started working on not just the marker but putting together the celebration of our Scurry County. On August 21, 1876 the Bexar and Young territories became 54 new counties, Scurry being among them. There is evidence of early men in our area back to 3000 years. This marker marks our 150 recent years. When Scurry County was created only about 100 people lived here. Our county now is home to about 16000. Some families have deep roots with 100+ years in our county. Some have just arrived. We basically formed from hunters following the Buffalo Trails. First arrivals on horse back or on wagons. Then these families started in dugouts then began building ranches, farms and towns. The railroads brought families, supplies and transport cattle and horses. We had oil booms. Churches and schools were developed. Theaters sprung up, including a drive in movie. The historical Ritz Community Theatre remains. An airport was built. Parks, libraries and museums were developed. Western Texas College was welcomed. Roads and highways were created. Industries and technologies were created. Many of our families shared their stories with us last Friday. We know there are many more stories of long ago and recent ones to be told and many more stories to be written here in Scurry County. The stories from the celebration will be moved to our Scurry County Museum tomorrow. So if you missed reading them last Friday, go by the museum. If you didn't get your story to us, you are welcome to add it to this collection. Thank you for joining us to celebrate our history as we became Scurry County. Thank you to everyone that participated in the program! Our youth and young adults provided the design of our new county flag Jaylen Acosta, Keegan and Hayden provided our music and Five 4H members: Milagros Murillo, Sawyer Henderson,
Kaylynn Henderson, Knox Fleming, and Wyatt Anderson helped with the flag detail and led our pledges.Our future looks bright ahead with their leadership. American Legion Glenn Burns coordinated the flag detail. Thank you to WTC Dr. Scates for being our emcee. Our invocation by Commissioner Terry Williams. Our welcome by Judge Dan Hicks and our proclamation brought by the Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows. Our marker was unveiled by Judge Dan Hicks and Commissioners Terry Williams, Doug Scott, Shawn McCowen and Jeff Mitchell. Laurie Roland gave our keynote recognizing our deep roots in Scurry County, Laurie and her family being among them. Thank you to the Martin Preuitt Jr Chapter DAR for welcoming and passing out our programs and stickers. We forgot to get our picture together but listed below is your current Scurry County Historical Commission SCHC. They put together this celebration. We also want to recognize countless Scurry County employees that helped us with transportation to get the plaque onto the rock including Commissioner Doug Scott and his PCT 2 employees transporting the rock, Scurry County employees for chairs, tables and PA and getting the grounds ready and so many others. Thank you for coming to recognize a milestone for our county. Your SCHC (listed alphabetically). Jean Burns, Misty Chapman, Gerald Corkran, Vanessa Murray, Josh Ortegon, Melissa Rico, Laurie Roland, Elyndabeth Toland, Eli Torres and Libby Wiggins. I, Jean, am a fairly new transplant to this county. Our son started kindergarten here back in the 1990s, he is a SHS graduate, attended WTC, finished his degree at Texas Tech and now works at WTC. So our family is fairly new, we've spent most of our life here -- so Scurry County young and old you are Scurry County! Thank you to everyone that came to celebrate! As we reveal our new gazebo, we Now write the stories for our future.

08/22/2026

Residents in Scurry County came out to celebrate 150 years of its rich agricultural heritage alongside legacy and history.

Thank you for participating in our Scurry County 150 celebration! Our future looks very bright with these young leaders...
08/21/2026

Thank you for participating in our Scurry County 150 celebration! Our future looks very bright with these young leaders leading the way.

Address

6200 College Avenue
Snyder, TX
79549

Telephone

(325) 575-2391

Website

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