Gone But Not Forgotten
Cavness Cemetery
Streeter, TX is between Big and Little Bluff creeks just north of U.S. Highway 377 and nine miles west of Mason in western Mason County. Around 1855 Irish settlers, including William S. "Uncle Billy" Gamel and the Caveness brothers, began moving to the area. Shortly thereafter, Germans also began to settle in the community. The earliest families settled along Big and Little Bluff creeks and nearby Honey Creek, so the community was called both Bluff Creek Community and Honey Creek Community. Early settlers suffered from Indian raids, but these ceased as the county became more firmly established. Early camp meetings were held near Streeter between 1860 and 1890, and in 1870 a Baptist church was organized. Dean Martin and Tom Brite opened early stores, and Charles Brite once operated a gin and flour mill. The name Streeter was applied to the community when a post office was established on September 5, 1890. It is believed that Joseph A. Black, the first postmaster, named the town after an early settler, Samuel T. Streeter. The first school in the area was on Honey Creek; there was not a school in Streeter itself until 1900. In August 1903 Streeter was temporarily quarantined for smallpox by the county health authorities. Telephone service was established in the area by 1914. As of 1939 Streeter had several stores, a garage, and a school, and by 1947 also a church and filling station. The post office was discontinued in 1970. The estimated population from 1925 to 1962 was 100. This figure dropped to sixty by 1964 but rose again in 1974 to 200, where it held steady through 1990. In 2000 the population dropped to 100.
While there are many unknown and undated markers here, two of the oldest are both from 1880. Four year old Steaven Cavness and 86 year old Elias Hiram Hays. I can only assume that one of the Cavness brothers mentioned above was a Robert "Bob" Caviness (1822 - 1902), who is buried here along with his wife Mary (1822 - 1892).