Always on the lookout for another cemetery not in my collection, I was out prowling the east side of Plano last weekend and re-discovered the Plano Mutual Cemetery, final resting place of many of Plano’s Pioneer families.
Among the earliest graveyards in Collin County, this cemetery traces its beginnings to 1852 when Dr. Lillie was buried on land belonging to his uncle William Forman. A Kentucky native, Forman came to Texas about 1850 and bought 640 acres in 1851 from Sanford Beck. Lillie’s death prompted a meeting of pioneer settlers to decide the location of a graveyard. The owners of four sections of land that converged together promised equal portions for the cemetery. However, most of the earliest graves are located on Forman land.
By the 1870’s the Forman family cemetery was combined with cemetery tracts purchased by the local Masonic and Odd Fellows’ Lodges. A group of local women organized the Ladies Mutual Cemetery Association in the 1890s to maintain the site. They beautified the grounds, provided a pavilion and doubled the size of the cemetery during their nearly 40 years tenure.
By 1907 adjoining tracts of land were bought by the Mutual Cemetery Association, Woodmen of the World and Knights of Pythias Organizations. The Plano Mutual Cemetery Association was formed in 1928 and continues service to the site. Buried here are many early pioneers and their descendants, war veterans and elected officials.