Here stands the Thomas Jefferson Callihan Plaque. A simple marker yet it speaks volumes. This isn’t just any plaque. It commemorates a man. A San Jacinto veteran. Thomas Jefferson Callihan. Born in Illinois May 10 1817 he died May 21 1880. The plaque itself isn’t flashy. It’s a gray granite Centennial Marker erected in 1936. It’s located in the Liverpool Cemetery. You can find it at the end of St Anne Street.
The Thomas Jefferson Callihan Plaque tells a story of a life lived in Texas. Callihan married Polly Talbott in 1838. They settled in Liverpool Brazoria County. He built wharves on Chocolate Bayou. He even owned seafaring schooners the Booby Owl and the Fox. He made a living transporting goods to Galveston Island. Life wasn’t always easy. Polly and several children died from yellow fever. Thomas remarried Johanna Bischoff. She too succumbed to yellow fever in 1925.
The Thomas Jefferson Callihan Plaque doesn’t just mark a grave. It represents a community. Liverpool’s early cemetery was on land donated by Dick Holt Callihan’s son-in-law. But due to a property dispute burials stopped. Many graves were lost. Some washed away by Chocolate Bayou. The present Liverpool Cemetery is where the Thomas Jefferson Callihan Plaque stands today. It’s a testament to perseverance. It’s a reminder of the lives lived and lost in this corner of Texas history. It’s a poignant reminder of a man’s life and a community’s resilience. The Thomas Jefferson Callihan Plaque a quiet sentinel in a peaceful cemetery. A story told in stone. A legacy etched in granite.