New in 2026

The columbarium

A resting place in Johnson City for families who choose cremation — permanent, engraved in granite, on ground held in trust since 1892.

Why a columbarium

Staying in Johnson City

More than half of Texas families now choose cremation. Until recently the cemetery had no good answer for them: an urn can be buried in a full grave space, but that uses ground meant for two casket burials, and it leaves nothing above the surface for a family to visit. Families who had lived in Johnson City for four generations found themselves keeping a parent's ashes on a shelf, or driving to a columbarium in Austin.

The lodge's answer is a granite columbarium in Casparis Section B, the strip along the west fence, within sight of the historic section. It was fabricated by Tri-County Monuments of Blanco to a design finalized in February 2025, with rows of niches behind polished granite covers and memorial benches on a paved plaza where a family can sit. The covers are engraved to one standard, so the whole structure reads as a single memorial rather than a wall of mismatched plaques.

A niche here is bought the same way a grave has always been bought: a specific numbered place, a written certificate, and a record kept by the lodge. The right lasts as long as the cemetery does, and the cemetery has been dedicated exclusively to that purpose under Texas law.

Columbarium

The granite columbarium with engraved niche covers and memorial benches.

Photograph of the completed columbarium to come.

Design drawing

Tri-County Monuments' elevation drawing of the columbarium, showing the rows of niches and the bench layout.

Drawing WDS 00-TXTC250, Tri-County Monuments, February 2025.

One

Single niche

One urn. The outer column on each face. Granite cover engraved with name and dates; epitaph and emblem optional.

$2,000 upper rows · $1,500 lower rows

Two

Companion niche

Two urns, one cover, two names. The three center columns on each face. The most common choice for a couple; the second name is engraved when needed.

$3,500 · $3,000 · $2,500 by row

Three

Memorial bench

A granite bench on the plaza, engraved in memory of a person or a family, for those who wish to give something to the place itself.

Ask the committee

Which niche costs what

One face of the columbarium

Forty niches in all, twenty on each face, laid out the same way on both. Prices step down by row from eye level to the bottom; the wide center niches hold two urns. Every price includes the engraved-ready granite cover.

Effective September 2026. Engraving and opening/closing are listed on the fee schedule.

$2,000single

$3,500companion

$2,000single

$3,500companion

$2,000single

$1,500single

$3,000companion

$1,500single

$2,500companion

$1,500single

Row 1 at top · row 4 at ground

Engraving

Covers are engraved by Tri-County Monuments using their niche engraving order form, so every cover matches. The base engraving is the surname, first name and middle initial, and dates of birth and passing. Options: a second name for a companion niche, an epitaph of a line or two, and one emblem from their sheet (religious, military, fraternal, and others). If a niche is bought pre-need, the date of passing is added later; the monument company charges per trip to the cemetery, so families sometimes wait to engrave a companion cover until both dates are known.

Current engraving fees are on the fee schedule. Contact Tri-County Monuments at monuments@tricountygsm.com or (830) 885-2261 to place an engraving order once the lodge has confirmed your niche.

Sample cover

A sample engraved niche cover showing surname, given name, dates, and an emblem.

Engraving standard: surname, given name and initial, dates.

Step by step

How to reserve a niche

1Send an inquiry using the form, or call. Tell us single or companion, and whether it is pre-need or at need.
2Choose the niche. The committee will send the plan showing which niches are open, and can meet you at the cemetery if you would like to see it.
3Sign and pay. You sign the purchase agreement, which incorporates the rules, and pay by check to the lodge. The lodge records the sale and issues your certificate of right of inurnment.
4Order engraving from Tri-County Monuments, now or later.
5At the time of need, the funeral home or the family contacts the lodge to schedule the inurnment. A brief service at the columbarium is welcome.

Reserve a niche

Questions families ask

Who can purchase a niche?: Anyone. The cemetery has never restricted burial by lodge, church, family, or residence, and the columbarium follows the same rule.
What does a purchase actually buy?: The exclusive right of inurnment in a specific numbered niche, recorded on the cemetery's plat, together with the granite niche cover. The land and the structure remain the property of the lodge, as with every grave in the cemetery. You receive a written certificate.
How many urns fit in a niche?: A single niche holds one urn; a companion niche holds two. The niche interior dimensions and the maximum urn size are printed on the certificate and on the fee schedule. Urns must be of a durable, sealed material — no cardboard or temporary containers.
Who does the engraving?: Tri-County Monuments of Blanco, which fabricated the columbarium, engraves the covers to a uniform standard using their niche engraving order form. Name, dates, an optional epitaph, and an optional emblem chosen from their sheet. Engraving is ordered and paid separately from the niche.
Can I buy now and use it later?: Yes. Most niches are bought pre-need. Your certificate records the niche number; when the time comes, the funeral home or the family contacts the lodge to schedule the inurnment.
Can a niche be sold or transferred?: A niche cannot be resold to a third party. It can be transferred to a family member, or returned to the lodge, only in writing and with the lodge's consent, as set out in the rules. Once an inurnment has taken place the purchase is final.
Can flowers be left at the columbarium?: Fresh flowers may be placed on the plaza on the day of an inurnment and on holidays. Nothing may be attached to the granite, no glass, and the committee removes faded arrangements, as the cemetery's Conditions and Restrictions provide.