Ivy and bamboo surround the more than 200-year-old cemetery, and weeds and grass overlook some of the markers.
The biggest problem - finding the person responsible for maintaining the land, which sits west of Avenue R, off Ira Young Drive, near Interstate 35, and sits adjacent to the Chappell Hill Apartment complex.
“I’ve lived here (in Chappell Hill) for a couple months,” said Charles Brunson, who said he has been looking to contact the owner of the site, regarding its cleanup. “When I moved here, my wife caught sight of the cemetery, and we ventured over - I looked through it and it saddened me.”
The cemetery is tax-exempt, although the Bell County Appraisal District has its owner listed as a Mrs. F.S. DuBose, of Temple. Searches through phone directories, with the city, and through the Internet, have left the Telegram and neighbors of the cemetery unable to contact Mrs. DuBose.
“I can tell you that (DuBose) doesn’t reside at the address listed (with the appraisal district),” Brunson said. “I almost wonder if she has passed away, or if she has moved from the area. I would like to maybe try to find some type of court records, maybe someone is responsible for the land and doesn’t know it.”
Brynn Reynolds, assistant to the Temple city manager David Blackburn, said Brunson has discussed the issue with Blackburn, and he agreed to help with the disposal or any cleanup that may take place in the cemetery by individuals.
Reynolds said, however, that because the cemetery is privately owned, and has a listed owner, the city would not initiate any type of activity related to the site. She also said the city has had no contact with any potential cemetery property owners regarding any issues. According to appraisal district documents, the last known address for Mrs. DuBose was 1703 W. Avenue R.
“It’s sort of strange,” Brunson said. “It’s almost like (the cemetery) has been forgotten.”
The cemetery has two historic markers in it, including one for Joseph Dennis (1810-1894), and one for the cemetery itself. According to archived Telegram articles, Dennis was instrumental in selecting a site for the county seat, which became Belton. He was elected the first Bell County treasurer and later moved to Temple after it was created in 1881.
Records indicate the earliest marked burial at the site occurred in 1868. The last marked burial was in 1943. Records from the appraisal district indicate there has been no turnover or deed history on the site for at least the last 10 years.
According to previous articles, when Chappell Hill was being developed, officials with the apartments worked with descendants of those buried to help clean up the site. One article, from April 1984, talked about developers who promised to build a fence near the site and help with its upkeep and security.
“I know that my dad and I were part of an access, or walkway dedication for the site,” said Paul Scott, who, along with his father helped restore the cemetery in the 1980s as one of the developers of Chappell Hill.
“We never actually owned the cemetery, though - we just helped with the upkeep,” Scott said. “I know that for some reason, people seem to think that (we own the cemetery) though.
“For years, we were spending money on the cleanup and upkeep of the site. I was sending over landscapers and workers as a courtesy,” Scott said. “I was spending $200 to $500 every couple months.”
Scott couldn’t estimate when he stopped helping clean up the site, and said Chappell Hill Equity III, which owned the Chappell Hill Apartments, was sold in 2006 to RDO Properties out of Salt Lake City. Scott is still a part of a property management company that oversees the apartments.
“If you visit there now, I know it’s pretty overgrown with plants,” Scott said. “I know that there’s a huge bamboo problem because a neighbor decided to plant some bamboo and it spread like wildfire into the cemetery. It’s almost like it’s been taken over by it.”
The cemetery now seems to sit in limbo.
“I don’t know who owns the cemetery,” Chappell Hill property manager Pat Van Wert said. “I agree though - it needs to be cleaned out, I just don’t know how you’d go about doing it.”
According to an article from 1986, the cemetery is the burial site for at least 37 people and is named after J.W. Hodge, a resident who owned the land during the last 1800s.
