White's Chapel Cemetery
Southlake, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
According to local legend, this cemetery began about 1851, when a child traveling through this area in a wagon train died and was buried here. The oldest documented burial, that of infant Amy A. Marr, took place in 1872. Many graves in the pioneer cemetery are unmarked, or are marked only with fieldstones. Native red sandstone is used for many of the markers and curbing. Among those laid to rest here are former state legislator Elihu Newton (1845-1925), who served in the 20th and 23rd Texas legislatures, and veterans of the Civil War and other armed conflicts. A reminder of the once-rural, pioneer heritage of this part of Tarrant County, the cemetery is cared for by the White's Chapel Cemetery Association. (2001)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Tucked into a corner of what was once rural Tarrant County, this pioneer burying ground took root around 1851, when—by local memory—a child who died on a passing wagon train was laid to rest in the raw prairie soil. Its oldest documented grave dates to 1872, and many of the earliest are marked only by native red sandstone or unlettered fieldstones. Among the dead are Civil War veterans and a former state legislator, silent witnesses to the settlement of this stretch of North Texas.
Why it matters
Pioneer cemeteries like this one preserve the tangible record of the ordinary families who settled the Texas frontier, long after the farms and open range around them gave way to suburbs.
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Related people
- · Elihu Newton
- · Amy A. Marr
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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