L. Butler Nelson Cemetery
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
L. Butler Nelson Memorial Park includes two historic cemeteries, the oldest of which was previously unnamed. Its earliest marked grave (1896) is that of Cherry Lawler, an 85-year-old grandmother. In 1911, William B. West, John P. Starks and William E. Ewing of Peoples Undertaking Co. purchased the cemetery and named it Woodland (or Woodlawn). Ten years later, Dr. G. W. Brock, a veterinarian, created Hillside Cemetery on adjacent land. The Rev. L. Butler Nelson came to Dallas in 1954 and worked to involve the African American community in caring for the cemeteries. In 1964, Lillie Belle Dandridge began similar efforts. In the early 1970s, the City of Dallas acquired the property and established the memorial park in Nelson's name to recognize his work. Today, the park is a link to local African Americans, many of whom came to Dallas before 1865. Among those buried here are: business owners; civil rights activists; pastors; doctors; educators, four for whom local schools are named; and military veterans of conflicts dating to the Spanish-American War. Their lives and the history of all interred here are commemorated in this park. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
L. Butler Nelson Memorial Park unites two historic African American cemeteries in Dallas, the oldest holding an 1896 grave for Cherry Lawler, an eighty-five-year-old grandmother. Purchased and named Woodland in 1911 and joined by neighboring Hillside a decade later, the grounds fell into neglect until the Rev. L. Butler Nelson and, later, Lillie Belle Dandridge rallied the community to care for them. When Dallas acquired the property in the 1970s, it named the park for Nelson, honoring the business owners, pastors, educators, civil rights activists, and veterans—some reaching back to the Spanish-American War—who rest here.
Why it matters
The park preserves the legacy of Dallas's Black community, many of whom arrived before emancipation, and honors the grassroots stewardship that rescued their graves from oblivion.
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Related people
- · Rev. L. Butler Nelson
- · Lillie Belle Dandridge
- · Cherry Lawler
Themes & tags
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