04/03/2026
CHAPEL DEDICATES TEXAS HISTORICAL MARKER
Newton County, June 10, 1984
Local residents listened attentively Saturday as three descendants of “outstanding citizens” of Farr’s Chapel Community traced the history of the community and its early settlers during the dedication service of a historical marker.
The group gathered at the Farr’s Chapel Cemetery, the site of the annual community homecoming, to witness the dedication and unveiling of the Texas State Historical Marker. The inscribed marker designates the cemetery as a historical landmark.
J.P. Miller, Sr., an educator and former teacher, delivered a speech on the creation of the Farrsville School and related experiences from his career as a teacher in the school from 1916 until 1920. Miller, 91, is retired from the teaching profession and currently resides in nearby Spears Chapel Community.
Second on the afternoon agenda was retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and County Attorney Delmar Shelley Hilliard, who outlined the heritage of the Rev. R.M. “Dock” STEWART clan. Stewart was the father of 11 children, who were reared by Stewart and his second wife, Missouri JOHNSON Stewart.
Ward WESTBROOK of Jasper addressed the group on the significance of the Farr’s Chapel and the role it has played in the community throughout the years. A memorial message, presented by Westbrook, was delivered in honor of B. Joshua BLUETT. Until his recent death, Bluett was the oldest Farr’s Chapel Community resident to attend the homecoming.
Among those present at the marker dedication service was J.P. DICKERSON, who served as a member of the Farr’s Chapel Cemetery Association since its formation in 1979, and Master of Ceremonies Pauline Hines, chairperson of the Newton County Historical Commission.
Fay Gilchrist Duncan of Port Arthur opened the dedication service by reading one of her original poems titled “Heritage.” The poem tells of her grandfather’s homestead located on 649 acres of land near Big Cow Creek.
The dedication was preceded by a business session held to elect officers for the Farr’s Chapel Cemetery Association. Leonard Jerry Richmond of Lumberton was elected president, and Sherlock Holmes of Nederland was selected vice-president.
Following the service was a bounteous basket luncheon on the church lawn.
WORDING ON THE HISTORICAL MARKER:
Located in the yard of a Methodist church founded in 1868 by Alfred Farr, this cemetery contains more than 150 tombstones placed since the 1850s and 1860s. The first grave, that of Mollie Westbrook, is marked by a rock that bears no date. Land for the cemetery was given in 1873 by Joshua and Matilda Westbrook and in 1892 by William and Mary Westbrook. War veterans, county officials, and early preachers, including the Rev. R. M. Stewart and B. Z. Powell, are buried here. The graveyard is maintained in the "scraped" style, in which all grass is removed from the graves.
