Austin Memorial Park Cemetery
Located at 2800 Hancock Drive, Austin Memorial Park Cemetery (AMP) was established in 1927 by a private corporation and had its first recorded burial in April 1928. Purchased by the City of Austin in 1941, it now covers 86 acres and has over 27,000 burials. A rock home and chapel, which once served as the residence for the cemetery superintendent, still stands at the cemetery entrance.
As the population of the city of Austin grew larger during the early 20th century, a privately owned cemetery with plots available for purchase by the public became necessary. In 1927, a private corporation, purchased farm land located northwest of the City of Austin from Gladys and J.T. Bowman. The first recorded burial in AMP was that of M.A. Hanna, who was interred on April 26, 1928. In order to provide cemetery services for the citizens of Austin and the surrounding area, the city purchased AMP in 1941 for the price of $56,000, making it a public cemetery. There have been several reductions in size of the cemetery throughout the years. In 1933, one acre on the west edge of the site was sold for the establishment of the Jewish Agudas Achim Cemetery, and another portion of the original property was sold by the city during the 1960s. The construction of Loop 1 (Mopac Boulevard) during the 1970s took away a segment of property in the extreme southwest corner of the site. Construction of the Northwest Recreation Center by the city of Austin in 1979 further reduced the cemetery's size. In 2004 and 2005, a separate section was reserved for Temple Beth Shalom for the creation of a Jewish section within the existing boundary of AMP. Well-known citizens interred in the cemetery include Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist James A. Michener, Texas Ranger Frances Augustus "Frank" Hamer, actor Zachary Scott, Jr., and noted University of Texas coaches Dana X. Bible , William John "Billy" Disch, Bibb A. Falk and Harvey Penick. AMP became a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2008.
Resources:
Click Here for a map of Austin Memorial Park Cemetery.
Click Here for the Austin Memorial Park Cemetery Master Plan.
Click Here for architectural drawings courtesy of the University of Texas’ School of Architecture Historic Preservation Master’s Program.
Click Here to access Austin Memorial Park Burial Records, courtesy of the Austin Genealogical Society.
Click Here to access Burial Records via FindAGrave.