Imagine driving down the road and all of the sudden, BAM grave marker.

Today In Weird Things I Didn't Know About Texas, Let's Travel to Hearne

Always trying to find things that only exist in Texas and I am not sure I have seen something like this before. If you travel to Hearne, Texas at the intersection of Wheelock Street and Cypress Street you will find a strip of land with a tree just sitting in the middle of the road.

The Intersection Grave?

Folks just driving by would probably think, why in the hell is that tree there? That sure is odd, but if you were to read the Texas Historical Marker. The story behind why that is there is quite interesting. Turns out this neighborhood is now sitting on what used to be a colored cemetery in Hearne, Texas. The cemetery official closed in 1912 and a woman by the name of Hollie Tantell was buried there in 1911.

What Happened to the Cemetery?

In 1947, the property was purchased and families were told to exhume the bodies of their dead relatives to move them elsewhere. As you can see, this was being turned into a neighborhood. One family refused, the children of Hollie Tantell they said they were not digging up their mother's remains and she was to remain right there. So, the neighborhood literally formed around her grave.

Now an Official Historical Site in Texas

Back in 2007, the Texas Historical Commission officially gave this piece of property it's own plaque telling the story of Hollie and her family. “This single grave,” it reads, “serves as a reminder of the area’s early African-American community and of the sanctity of burial grounds.”

By the way, am I the only person that watched Poltergeist? No way am I living in a house that used to be cemetery property where they forced families to dig up their relatives. Some spooky stuff has to be happening in this neighborhood.