Austin State Hospital Cemetery Plaque

“A cemetery in the heart of the city?”, you might ask, surprised. And you’d be right to wonder. This, my friends, is the Austin State Hospital Cemetery Plaque, marking a place both poignant and surprisingly peaceful. The plaque itself, erected by the Texas Historical Commission in 2002, tells a story of a time gone by, a time when the Austin State Hospital was known as the State Lunatic Asylum. The cemetery, established in 1882, holds the remains of nearly 3,000 souls. It’s a somber reminder of the hospital’s long history, a history that began in 1861 with the mission to care for those with mental illnesses. Now, here’s a curious tidbit: John Neely Bryan, the founder of Dallas, rests beneath this very ground. Remembered for his ambition and perhaps infamous for his struggles, Bryan found himself a patient at the asylum in his later years. He died here in 1877. Though some believe his remains were moved to Dallas, a grave marker bearing his name still stands in this cemetery. The Austin State Hospital Cemetery Plaque doesn’t just mark a graveyard. It marks a piece of Austin’s story, a testament to the lives lived, both ordinary and extraordinary, within the walls of the state hospital.