Many things have changed in the five years since our last tour. In 2017, we were planning our fourth trek into Beaumont’s past when Hurricane Harvey devastated our area, and other events have occurred, such as tropical storm Imelda (2019), hurricanes Laura and Delta (2020), and a global pandemic to boot. We are still dealing with pandemic concerns, but things are slowly getting back to normal. As I write, our area’s business is in full swing, and many events are taking place to the satisfaction of those who have been couped up, hunkered down, and “Zoomed out.” They want to get out and regain some normalcy in their lives. We all do.

Earlier this summer, Magnolia Cemetery contacted me about possibly bringing back the tour. I also felt it was time to get back in the saddle, so to speak, and continue what we started back in 2014—but with a twist. Our newest incarnation of the tour will be christened The First Annual Historic Magnolia Cemetery Tour. Why the first, you ask? Here’s why: ever since I attended the Liberty County Historical Commission’s (LCHC’s) Whispers from the Past tour in 2013 and 2014, I have felt that this part of SETX needed something like this to bring its rich history to life—if not a reenactment-type tour, such as the LCHC beautifully performed, then a walking history tour of our hallowed grounds, which could be an excellent way of showing our history and teaching everyone how life was back then.

Our first cemetery tour, in 2014, was for the docents of the McFaddin-Ward House. In 2015 and 2016, we presented a tour sponsored by the Beaumont Heritage Society, which was a phenomenal success. In 2021, we want to bring to light a few things about one of the older cemeteries in Beaumont. Magnolia Cemetery is a not-for-profit cemetery, meaning it does not reap money from the people and families interred there. The aim of the tour is to promote the area’s history, show the beauty of the cemetery’s monuments, statues, and artwork, and tell the stories of those who are not so famous but contributed to Beaumont’s future.

This will be an annual fall event, but we hope to offer more educational tours throughout the year if there is a demand.

The tour is free to the public, and we hope to see you there.

The tour dates are as follows:

Thursday, October 21, 2021, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 23, 2021, 10:00 a.m.