Donated by Charles Cook. Thanks Charles!

DIRECTIONS TO ESCONDIDO CEMETERY
KARNES COUNTY, TEXAS
September 16, 2000

From Corpus Christi, Texas:

1. Take Highway 181 to Kenedy Texas to the stop sign/light at the intersection of Highway 72.
2. Continue on Highway 181 and turn right on FM 719. (Just past the Walmart on the left).
3. Continue on FM 719 past the High School for 0.8 miles to FM 792 where the road “T’s”.
4. If you turn right you will pass over Escondido Creek. Don’t turn right, turn left.
5. Continue on FM 792 approximately 0.5 mile to County Road 326. The Central Power & Light office will be on your left.
6. Turn right on CR 326 (caliche road). Continue approximately 2 ¼ miles to the Ben Alexander and Robin Alexander residence (on your right). The mail box will read # 137. The residence is hidden behind tall Georgia cane and is not very visible from the road. Permission must be obtained from the Alexander family prior to entering the Alexander ranch property. Make sure that you know which gates that you are to lock while on the Alexander Ranch.

Ben Alexander
Robin Alexander
County Road 326, # 137
Kenedy, Texas
830-583-2729

7. Approximately 0.2 miles past the Alexander residence is the turn into the Alexander property. An electrical transmission line passes over CR 326 at this point. Turn right into the ranch. As you turn into the ranch you will pass through gate 1 and gate 2, and over a cattle guard. Another fence will be on your left and an electrical transmission line will also be on your left.

8. It will be approximately 0.1 miles to the next gate (gate 3) and you will pass 1 electrical transmission line tower. At this time this gate (gate 3) was not locked. There is no photo of this gate.

9. It will be approximately 0.1 miles to the next gate (gate 4) and you will pass 2 electrical transmission line towers. Gate 4 (locked) is shown below.

10. It will be approximately 0.2 miles to the next gate (gate 5) and you will pass 2 electrical transmission line towers. At this point the fence will take off at an angle of about 30 degrees from the fence on your left. See photo below.

11. Here is where the fence takes off at an angle. Gate 5 is off to the left of this photo. If you will look off to the right and look down the hill you will see a wooded area with Georgia cane. This is where the cemetery is located The Georgia cane is above the “9” in the date of the photo.

12. The gate to the cemetery is to the left of the Georgia cane. Continue to the cemetery. See cemetery gate entrance below.

13. Some photos from the cemetery below.

James D. Campbell and Rhoda C. Campbell

Susan and I found the tombstone above to be in good shape and very readable. We cut some of the small brush around the stone.

Susan N. Luecken Cook at tombstone of James Lanham Campbell

Tombstone of James Lanham Campbell

Susan and I found the James Lanham Campbell tombstone had fallen off of its base. It had not broken. We cleaned it off and reset the tombstone on its base. The engraving on the tombstone is readable, but the photo did not turn out very well.

The cemetery is in a very nice wooded area with large oak and hackberry trees. There are several grave sites that are enclosed in turn of the century ornamental iron work fences.

Many of the markers are becoming hard to read due to weathering, and a few have fallen and are broken. Both of the Campbell tombstones are in good shape and are readable.

It is really a shame that Karnes County is not maintaining this historic Texas cemetery.

Charles J. Cook