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Cemeteries In & Around Chireno

The town of Chireno was named for Jose Antonio Chireno, a native of Spain. In 1792, the Spanish King granted J. A. Chireno nine leagues of land, (one league = 4,429 acres). By 1824 J. A. Chireno had established his settlement at a location on the El Camino Real (The King's Highway). This settlement was the town of Chireno and it was located nearly halfway between San Augustine and Nacogdoches. This trail (El Camino Real) is now Texas State Highway 21. It was surveyed by St. Denis and was for years the main road across Texas. This has been referred to as the gateway to Texas, crossing the Sabine River from the East.

Some of the early families that lived in Chireno were: Fall, Y'Barbo, Atkinson, Flournoy, Smith, Vail, Little, Wilson, Metteauer and Menefee. In 1840 Dr. John N. Fall's first son, Calvin, was born. He was the first white child to be born in Chireno. Dr. Fall was reported to be friendly with the Indians and they were curious to see the child. These Indians were friendly to the colonists and were never hostile.

The Flournoy-Grandberry House (Halfway House/Inn) Built circa 1841 by Samuel Martin Flournoy.
The Flournoy-Grandberry House is a two-story I-House, or saddlebags type, hewn-log dwelling with square notch corner joints. It is two rooms wide and one room deep with a dogtrot or central hall. Both the full two-story height and the termination of the second floor logs at the dogtrot are unique architecturally. Two-story log dwellings were uncommon in the 1840's and were symbols of their owner's wealth and success.

The Flournoy-Granberry House is located in Nacogdoches County, Texas. Nacogdoches County is one of the earliest settled areas in the state. Because the El Camino Real or The Kings Highway/Old San Antonio Road traversed the area, it witnessed much of the immigration to Texas. The region naturally attracted the attention of individuals east of the Sabine River which formed its eastern boundary.

Chireno was an active settlement in Nacogdoches County by the time of Samuel Martin Flournoy's arrival. Flournoy was appointed as a Republic of Texas postmaster in 1846. The post office remained until March 1, 1852, when the operation was moved to Chireno. The early mail was carried by mail riders and, as stagecoaches began to contract for the mails, Flournoy's was a stop on the route between Nacogdoches and San Augustine, Texas. Stage Coach Tickets reportedly cost ten cents per mile. (Excerpts from the Chireno Historical Society "Memories of Chireno").