Honor Our Heritage
Preserve Our Legacy

Over 150 years ago, in June of 1869, Thomas and Anne Shannon donated two acres to the Bishop of Galveston, thus creating what became known as the Gussettville Cemetery. Our cemetery was enlarged in January of 1905 when Bridget McGloin donated an additional two acres, and again in September of 1929 when she donated a second parcel to extend the northern boundary of the cemetery to the right-of-way of what was then known as Highway 9. The current cemetery, St. Joseph Catholic Church situated on the cemetery grounds, and the Old Gussettville Cemetery located nearby are the last remaining physical reminders of this once thriving and historic Irish Catholic community.

The Gussettville Cemetery Association, founded in November of 1957, has maintained the cemetery for the last 65 years under the stewardship of countless volunteers and donors, many of whom are now fifth and sixth generation descendants of those hardy souls who settled here in the years immediately before the Texas revolution through the end of the American Civil War.

In the past our association has been sustained financially by membership dues, sale of burial plots, and memorial donations; these will continue to be an important source of financial support in the near term. However, we are well aware that many rural cemeteries, a few generations after being filled to capacity and revenue declines below a critical threshold, are eventually abandoned. Determined to avoid this fate, and seeking to ensure that our cemeteries are preserved and maintained in a dignified manner in perpetuity, we are excited to announce the launch of the Gussettville Cemetery Association Endowment Fund.

The fund was approved at a special meeting of the association held on March 19th, 2023, immediately after we celebrated Mass for the Feast of St. Joseph. Our goal is to grow the fund to a minimum value of $1,000,000, after which all investment income will be distributed to the General Fund of the association to be used for maintenance and capital improvement projects. In the distant future, should the need arise due to a lack of local volunteers to manage the day to day operations of the cemetery, the income from this fund can be used to hire personnel to carry on this work.

We invite you to consider participating in this effort to ensure that the graves of our loved ones, and our own graves someday, are maintained in perpetuity.

Thank you for your consideration and watch for more exciting announcements in the near future!