San Pedro Cemetery searches for help after damaging accident

T.L. Torres couldn’t put into words just how he feels about the damage done at San Pedro Cemetery.

Torres, the co-chair of the San Pedro Cemetery Association, is looking for help identifying gravestones that were damaged after a traffic accident that occurred on Nov. 12. 

The fence was destroyed by the accident that occurred at San Pedro Cemetery.

“Most of my family members are buried here. I’ve lived around here my whole life,” Torres said. “It’s hard to put into words. Those are not my family’s headstones but they belong to somebody else and they probably don’t even know about it yet.” 

The cemetery — located at the corner of Posey Road and Old Bastrop Road — was established in 1909 during a time in Texas when most cemeteries were separated by ethnicity. San Pedro Cemetery was created by persons of Mexican heritage. By 1915, records show that the San Pedro Cemetery Association had approximately 300 members, and the site expanded with an additional 2 acres in 1933. 

A headstone was knocked over during after a traffic accident occurred at San Pedro Cemetery on Nov. 12. 

Records of each plot, however, weren’t well kept until 2003, which has made it difficult to identify whose headstones have been damaged, Torres said. 

“Some of the (headstones) are real nice. People spent a lot of money on them,” Torres said. “And some of us don’t have money but it’s still whatever we put here, it’s a historical cemetery. It’s been here for a long time — for 100 years.” 

A plot at San Pedro Cemetery was severely damaged by an accident.

Torres is asking for anyone who has family members buried at the cemetery to visit the site to check for any possible damage to their family member’s headstone or memorial located near the fence on the Old Bastrop Road side of the cemetery. Torres can be reached at 512-353-0776. 

“We’re trying to get the word out for people to come see the damage before we see the insurance,” Torres said. “Please check your headstones. You can give me a call. I’ve got an answering machine and I’ll get right back to you.” 

A sign with “Please don’t throw fence” sits near a damaged grave site.