Entry No. 23 — the Austin file — filed under: cemetery-with-a-story
Texas State Cemetery — the Lone Union Soldier
More than 2,000 Confederate veterans and widows are buried here, but alone in the far northeast corner lies Antonio Briones — the single Union soldier whose family requested he not be moved when the rest of the Union dead were later relocated to Fort Sam Houston. Frontiersman Josiah Wilbarger, who survived being scalped by a raiding party four miles from this spot in 1833, was reinterred here in 1932. By the early 1990s the grounds had fallen into vandalism and disrepair before a state restoration brought them back.
The story
You don't expect to find a lone Union soldier held captive in enemy territory a century and a half after the Civil War ended. But make your way to the far northeast corner of these 22 acres, away from the grand granite obelisks, and you will find Antonio Briones. When the federal government later dug up the cemetery's Union section to relocate the northern dead to Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Briones's family stepped in and requested that his body remain untouched. Today, his isolated headstone stands lone sentinel in a field surrounded by more than 2,000 Confederate veterans and widows.
The rest of the property reads like a brutal roll call of frontier survival and late-20th-century neglect. Just past the grave of Alamo survivor Susanna Dickinson's cenotaph lies Josiah Wilbarger, who survived being scalped during a 1833 attack four miles away at Pecan Springs, lived for eleven years with an exposed skull, and was reinterred here in 1932. By the early 1990s, the entire state cemetery had fallen into severe vandalism and disrepair—overgrown, broken, and largely forgotten—before a massive state restoration project cleaned up the grounds and constructed the Alamo-style visitor center.
What it's like
Head through the wrought-iron gate at 909 Navasota Street and step into the visitor center—built to mirror the Alamo barracks—to pick up a free grounds map. The 22-acre grounds are surprisingly quiet despite being surrounded by East Austin, with shaded paved paths winding past massive oak trees and a stone-lined central pond. Finding Briones's isolated Union marker in the far northeast corner takes a bit of deliberate searching through rows of southern gray headstones. The cemetery is open daily from 8am to 5pm, though you should confirm current operating hours before heading over.
The move: Pick up the free grounds map at the visitor center and go hunting for the one Union headstone standing sentinel amid a sea of Confederate dead — open daily 8am–5pm.
- 📍 East Austin
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 909 Navasota St, Austin, TX 78702
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- La Botanica Green & White — Located two blocks south on East 7th, this mid-1930s neighborhood botanica offers folk remedies and candle supplies just down the street from the cemetery grounds.
- Susanna Dickinson Museum — Head less than a mile west to see the 1869 limestone cottage of Alamo survivor Susanna Dickinson, whose memory is also honored with a cenotaph inside the state cemetery.
- City Alchemist — Walk a few blocks south to East 6th Street to explore this occult shop specializing in curanderismo and folk magic after taking in the cemetery's historic markers.
Good to know
Why is Antonio Briones buried alone away from other Union soldiers?
After the Civil War, an acre was set aside here for Union dead, but when those soldiers were later reinterred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Briones's family requested his body remain in Austin.
What is the story behind Josiah Wilbarger's grave?
Frontiersman Josiah Wilbarger was scalped by a raiding party four miles from the cemetery grounds in 1833. He survived the attack and lived for another eleven years before dying in 1844, and was reinterred at the State Cemetery in 1932.
Where do I get a map of the graves?
You can pick up a free grounds map inside the visitor center at the main entrance on Navasota Street.
What are the visitor hours for the cemetery grounds?
The grounds are open daily from 8am to 5pm, but visitors should double-check current hours before visiting.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · tshaonline.org
last checked: 2026-07-20