Southland Cemetery, Old
Grand Prairie, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded in 1910 by Thomas H. Hall (1867 - 1965), this cemetery was the result of a need to have a burial ground closer to the community than those existing more than four miles distant. Four acres of land were dedicated for use as a cemetery, and Hall began to plot the original plan for the design of the graveyard, using lot markers made of bois d'arc wood. The oldest marked grave in the cemetery is that of Edward Z. Motley (1885 - 1910). Also buried that year was Thomas Hall's brother, George Byrd Hall (1878 - 1910). Two stones which reflect earlier death dates (Thomas E. Vernoy, 1879, and Fannie Millar Sadler and infant daughter, 1909) document reinterment here from other locations. In 1918 Emma Motley (1856 - 1946) donated funds for the erection of a stone and wrought iron arched entrance gate for the cemetery. Although a cemetery association had been formed about 1939, the cemetery was not deeded to the trustees of the Southland Cemetery Association until 1973 by the heirs of Thomas H. Hall. The Old Southland Cemetery stands as a reminder to Grand Prairie residents of their community's heritage. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1910, Thomas H. Hall founded this cemetery to give his growing community a burial ground closer than the ones four miles away, dedicating four acres and laying out the plots himself with lot markers whittled from bois d'arc wood. The earliest graves date to that first year, and in 1918 Emma Motley funded the stone-and-wrought-iron arched entrance gate. Held by Hall's family until 1973, when it was deeded to a cemetery association, the grounds remain a touchstone of early Grand Prairie.
Why it matters
The cemetery preserves the origins of a Dallas-area community in the years it was taking root, a homemade civic institution that still links today's residents to their town's founders.
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Related people
- · Thomas H. Hall
- · Emma Motley
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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