The International & Great Northern Railroad reached the new town of Rockdale in January 1874. Among the early residents were brothers Benjamin and Joseph Lowenstein, who opened a mercantile from a tent before the railroad arrived. They and their families were part of a larger contingent of Jewish settlers in the area. By 1879, a reported 100 Jewish residents lived in Rockdale, which boasted and active B'nai B'rith Lodge.
In August 1877, Benjamin and Carrie Lowenstein's son Arthur died and was buried at this site. The following November, the Hebrew Benevolent Association bought the land for use as a dedicated Jewish burial ground. Among those interred here are Henry Goldsticker, a Confederate veteran, and Issac Crown, who died in a disastrous fire in 1888 at Rockdale's Mundine Hotel. One grave, that of Isaac Ensheimer, was placed in a separate part of the cemetery; Ensheimer committed suicide in 1884. The final burial occurred in 1939 and is that of Morris Cohn. The site is a reminder of Rockdale's diverse history.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004
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