Texas Hill Country Heritage Sites and Attractions

Welcome to the Texas Hill Country Trail Region

Credit: Henry Huey

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Hill Country Trail Region

Comfort Cemetery

Located in the town of Comfort, southern folkloric practices are on display at Comfort Cemetery where graves are decorated with seashells.

Though Comfort was founded by German immigrants in 1854, using seashells to decorate graves was a practice found in many parts of Texas into the early 20th century and was widespread among different ethnic communities. Historians have pointed to different origins to explain its significance. While some believe that the shells are meant to symbolize eternal life, others contend that the shell is itself a vessel for the soul's eternal presence. Texas graveyard historian, Terry G. Jordon, makes the connection between this practice and a pre-Christian Mediterranean deity who ruled the dead and granted rebirth through requests made by placing shells on graves Though pagan in nature, this tradition spread to Christianity during Roman times, then to Britain and northern Spain. Therefore, it isn't farfetched that the practice came to Texas through Spanish colonists, German immigrants, or other European influence.

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