Founded in 1839, Lamar was a rival to the then thriving Aransas City, Texas which was just across Copano Bay at Lookout Point. Aransas City had the customhouse which guaranteed prosperity. Lamar became the first coastal town in (what was then) Refugio County.
The President of the Republic was petitioned by a group of settlers to move the customhouse from Aransas City. Their forceful argument that the new town was twice the population of Aransas City convinced the President - who just happened to share the same name of the town. The change was made and the worse fears of Aransas Citizens became a reality. Aransas City virtually disappeared.
Lamar's star rose and its prosperity surpassed that of its former rival - that is until the town was destroyed by Union forces during the Civil War. Only a few shellcrete foundations remained.
Lamar found itself in Aransas County when that county was established in 1871.
The cemetery, said to be the oldest in the territory, remains relatively unchanged and is one of the more picturesque coastal cemeteries in the state. It has been designated a historical landmark.
A list of all interments has been made available through the Lamar Cemetery Association. Authored by Mary Lou Brannon the information is available at the Aransas County Public Library and at the cemetery itself.
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