A cemetery lost to time

Jena Cemetery is on Falls County Road 378 running parallel to the Bell County Line in Western Falls County between Westphalia & Belfalls. According to the Find A Grave website, the oldest recorded death was in December 1859 and the most recent burial was in April 1968. There are 62 known graves in this cemetery with no signs or access along the east side of County Road 378. There’s also a headstone for Reuben Bull (180066) somewhere among the branches & thickets that has an anchor carved onto it.

Jena (pronounced Gin-Nay) was a once thriving community in the 1850’s Pre-Civil War Era of Texas. Jena had a school on several occasions. The 1893-1904 school burned and a new one was built in 1909. It was destroyed by a tornado in 1929, but was soon rebuilt. The common school was merged with Theo in nearby Bell County in 1932 and became a part of Westphalia ISD in 1949. It was located on the south side of Falls County Road 481, but no longer standing.