Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
This cemetery is located on private property. The lady that owns it has leased it to a person who is running cows over the graves. I've spoken to the Choctaw Nation about this cemetery since there are several Choctaw burial houses that are in danger of being destroyed, but they haven't been any help. I've written Chief Pyle twice, called several times, emailed, and visited the nation and spoke with Terry who is in charge of cemetery clean up. Marion Downs owns land that joins the cemetery on the west side and she has offered to donate enough land to build an area where those who come to visit can have a nice place to set and rest. You can not go in there until it freezes due to the ticks. It covers about 5 acres and is in need of help in the most urgent way. If something is not done these graves are going to be destroyed. If someone has an idea of what can be done please contact me. I don't live there but I'm willing to do what ever I can to get this cemetery fenced and cleaned up. I have family buried there and it breaks my heart to see the sad shape this place has become. Danna Mullens Reese - d_reese45@hotmail.com
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Re: Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
Is the land for sale, as I have family buried there? Is this the main cemetary in Durant?, or a side cemetary as I haven't lived in Durant in many years? Just saw this post and did not google anything--thought you would be on-line and could reply---waiting. Donna Jim (Groce, Wright, Smith, Robinson, Gattis)
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Re: Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
Donna, I don't know if the land is for sale. Highland is the main cemetary for Durant. Cox's Chapel is a small cemetary north of Durant. There are people still being buried there, but there families have fenced their graves. The graves I'm worried about are from the 1800's. Danna
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Re: Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
Thanks, I will research this. Donna
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Re: Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
I just found this old message and am wondering if this was taken care of ? I have a friend who lives eleven miles south of Durant OK just three miles from the Texas border. I know she would try to help in any way she could.
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Re: Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
No, this hasn't been taken care of. I went to the Choctaw Nation to seek their help over 2 years ago. There are some Choctaw burial houses in the cemetery that are being destroyed by the cattle and neglect. I gave them the name of the owner and they sent a crew to survey and gave me hope that they would fence and clean it up, but that hasn't happened. I wrote the Choctaw Chief two letters and each time he pushed me off on someone else. A lot talk but no help. I don't live in the area so I was searching for a way to get the cemetery fenced away from the cows and this seemed a good idea at the time. I know the person who owns the land to the west of the cemetery. She is willing to donate enough land to make a road and an area for a pavilion or some kind of resting area for those that want to visit their loved ones. I would be more than happy to come down and help clean up the cemetery if a work day or weekend can be scheduled. Marion Downs works at the Bryan County Heritage Center in Calera on Monday's. She is the one that is willing to donate land to the west. She is also a good contact person since she lives just down the road. If your friend can help with this please let me know. Thanks so much, Danna Mullens Reese
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Re: Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
Danna, I called my friend in Colbert OK and she was shocked at this story and how its been handled or, should I say mis-handled. She will contact Marion Downs and Chief Pyle. She said she always thought so highly of the Indians because they honored the dead just as they honored the living. So much for that misconception. She said she is also going to call channel 12 news and get them to talk to Marion and the chief also. She said she could hardly believe that this was happening right down the road from her. She said it sounded like something out of a third world country, now here in good old USA. She said it is a shame so many cementerys have just been left to decay without care. She said one just across the border in Denison Grayson TX is also in shambles with tombstones turned over and broken, it is such a shame. Oakwood, I believe it is called. We will see if she or the news media can offer any hope by getting someones attention that has the power to do something. Knowing her she will keep on until someone listens. Will let you know, we will keep in touch. She also said she is kin to a lot of EARNHARTS and SMITHS that are buried around Durant, Calera, Cartright and Colbert and she said some of her own relatives could possibly be right out there with the cows running across their graves. She said it makes her shudder to think about it. Right under her doorstep.
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Re: Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
Where it says "now here in the good old USA" is supposed to be "not here in the good old USA", guess that will teach me to preview it before I post it.
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Re: Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
Thank you so much. This has been such a sad situation for to long. Hopefully they'll make things happen. Tell her that Terry D Cole who is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer is the person that I drove 3 hours and spoke with in person. This was after the first letter I wrote to Chief Pyle. Terry told me that they had surveyed the cemetery and were going to contact the owner of the land and get her ok to go in and fence and clean up, but then I never heard from him again...until I wrote Chief Pyle another letter. This time one of Terry's workers emailed me and I still have that email saved telling me that they were working on it, but that's been over 2 years ago. Terry's number at his office is 580-924-8280. The day I met with him he had called me and we spoke about the cemetery and made a date to meet during spring break of '06 and set a time at his office. I drove down there which is 3 hours for me and he had either not written our appointment down or simply forgot because he was leaving to go to Mississippi I believe for some thing. I just happened to catch him. I would have been furious if I had of driven that far and him not be there. From the results that I got out of the meeting I might as well have not spoken to him. I just want the cemetery cleaned up and fenced to keep the cows out. Everyone one of us deserves to have a decent burial site where our family and friends can come and pay their respects. It's just so sad to me. Thanks so much for your help with this. Let me know if I can help. Like I said I will be more than happy to come and help with the clean up. Danna Mullens Reese
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Re: Cox's Chapel, Durant, Bryan County, OK
I have family also buried in Cox's Chapel North of Durant.My maternal grandparents, maternal great-grandparents, aunts and uncles and great uncles and aunts as well. The famiy name is Pate. My mother passed away in 1994 and it had been several years before that since we visited the site. Before that my uncle Clarence Covey used to keep it up when he lived down the road, but he moved to California in the 70's and I don't know anyone that did much with it after that. I know that family pitched together and paid for a chain link fence to surround their lots to protect it from the cows. But the weeks were so grown up and covered so much that it was hard to eve see the gravesites. There were also snakes and mentioned before, ticks and chiggers abound. I would say that it would take an insecticide and herbicide being sprayed and given a chance to act before much could be done. The road looks like a private road but I understand that the Chapel area has to be left accessible. You think you are driving into someones back yard when you enter. I don't know if they actually own that property or not, but they are required to fence it off from their livestock thus the animals have free rein. It would take someone organizing those families that are concerned and coming up with a financing plan to salvage all the graves that have been destroyed. Contact me and I might be interested. I will probably try and go out there this fall when the snakes and ticks hibernate.
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