Texas State Cemetery in Austin: Requirements for Burial

Video Transcript

"You might wonder just who's buried here at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. There are quite a lot of important people laid to rest on these grounds. The first person buried here was General Edward Burleson. He was second in command to Stephen F. Austin during the Texas revolution, and later a state senator. Then came Abner Lipscomb, and a whole host of Texas government and Civil War leaders. Albert Sidney Johnston, who was originally buried in Louisiana, was brought here in 1866 and lies under this amazing Gothic chapel in marble death mask. General Ben McCollough, William Pinckney Henderson and John Wharton also fought alongside Johnston and are buried here. Founder of Texas and Austin namesake, Stephen F. Austin was reinterred here in 1907, over seventy after his death. He was originally buried in a family plot in Peach Point, but was moved to this more appropriate spot years later. Former governor, Anne Richards is here, as well as former lieutenant governor Bob Bullock. President George W. Bush and Governor Rick Perry have plots reserved for them already. In order to be buried here in the state cemetery, you need to be some kind of Texas state official, or be recommended by a state office. Not an easy thing to come by."