Shiloh-McCutcheon Cemetery Historical Marker, Shiloh, Williamson County, Texas

Located near Hutto, Williamson County, Texas, the community of Shiloh consisted of a school, a church, two stores, and a few residents who lived on or near Brushy Creek. This area was a cattle crossing during the days following the Civil War, but before that, it had been a major route taken by many as they advanced southward through Texas. The residents of Shiloh made up some of the first settlers of Hutto once its railroad came through. Many of the early families who lived in Shiloh were buried or have relatives who were buried in Shiloh-McCutcheon Cemetery, known as both the
Shiloh Cemetery and the McCutcheon Cemetery during the earlier years. However, the first burial in the cemetery was attributed to a woman's death passing through the area. The first recorded burial was Josiah Kuykendall, who became ill with smallpox after a traveler spent the night at the Kuykendall home. Josiah’s brother Mark, who lived nearby, came to care for his brother during the illness. They both died and were buried in the Shiloh Cemetery in 1853. [4]

Even though the cemetery had been in existence from at least the time of the 1853 burials of the Kuykendall brothers, the land was not deeded as a cemetery until February 5, 1890. William McCutcheon to Shiloh Cemetery by Warranty Deed on February 5, 1890, filed February 13, 1890, at 9 AM, Vol. 52 Page 205 Deed Records of Williamson County, Texas. William McCutcheon formally deeded the land for a cemetery with trustees, F. F. Farley, Green Randolph, and William Rogan.[5] Two of the original trustees, F. F. Farley and William Rogan, are buried in the Shiloh-McCutcheon
Cemetery. [6] Green Randolph died in the Territory of New Mexico on January 3, 1893, and is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Las Cruces, New Mexico. [7]

Shiloh-McCutcheon Cemetery is significant because it documents the families who lived or passed through the small community. Once the community no longer existed, it documented the families who remained in the area. The five (5) tombstones in a row of the Hyslop family, who all died within a 12 month period, plus six (6) other deaths at that time, suggest that there was some tragic illness. In all, there are at least 30 identified burials of children fifteen or younger, and there are likely many more whose identifying markers have been lost over time. [11]

The cemetery also documents the existence of William and Elizabeth Jane (Harrell) McCutcheon and six (6) of their thirteen (13) children who are buried there. The McCutcheons were large landholders in the area surrounding the cemetery and several miles to the north of it, also in the area between Norman’s Crossing and Rice’s Crossing. William and many of his children, especially John, owned significant amounts of land in this area. [12]