A Nearly Accurate History of Sunrise Beach
By Dick Hart (deceased)
Written for the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the City in November of 1998
recovered and updated in 2005 and continued by others (I hope, hjs)
Page 16 of 19
Approximately two years ago the cemetery was legally organized and
named Sandy Mountain Cemetery Association, with Messrs. Frank
Poplin as Chairman, Paul S. Looney, vice chairman and Mrs. Walter E.
Mastin, as secretary-treasurer.
SANDY MOUNTAIN CEMETERY
(Originally the Wootan Family Graveyard)
Compiled by Lillian Fowler, July, 2001
Sandy Mountain is a hill which rises above the surrounding terrain
beside Sandy Creek in Southeastern Llano County, Texas near the
mouth of the creek as it flows into the Colorado River.
In the 1850's as settlers migrated into the area the farmers and
ranchers named the community 'Sandy Mountain" No record has been
found of any church in the area,. but according to Judge Wilburn
Oatman, Sr. in his book, "Llano, Gem of the Hill Country, A History of
Llano County, Texas" on March 17, 1859, the Post Office at Sandy
Mountain was established with Mr. Francis M. Hodges being appointed
Postmaster. On October 1, 1860, Mr. William E. Wootan became
Postmaster, and six years later on November 5, 1866 the Post Office
was discontinued.
It was re-established on October 19, 1874 with Samuel W. Tate as
Postmaster. (1)
There is no record of the location of the earlier post offices, but the
latter was located in the Samuel Tate home along with a general store.
(2) This home was about 4 miles from the cemetery and, according to
his granddaughter, Martha Phillips Hallford, Mr. Tate carried produce to
Austin in wagons to trade for supplies for his store. The old house was
moved and rebuilt at the Pioneer Farm in Austin, Texas, (donated by
the Lyndon B. Johnson family). Only a portion of one chimney remains
where the house stood. (3) Susan Tate Phillips, daughter of Samuel W.
Tate, related stories about the Tate children riding on horseback four
or five miles to school for a few months each year. It is not known
where this school was located, but it is possible that it could have been
the same building or in the same location as the school Alline H. Elliott,
author of 'Rural Schools of Llano County" mentioned in her records.
She stated that it was 'after 1893 that trustees formed the rural school
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