An abandoned cemetery is getting new life, and the deceased are getting recognition. More than a dozen veterans are buried in Oak Cliff’s Western Heights Cemetery and on this Veterans Day, they were honored by a small group of volunteers. Alicia Barrera has the story.
Throughout one of Dallas County’s oldest cemeteries, you will see unmarked gravesites, some broken tombstones, and faded engravings.
Western Heights Cemetery is located at 1607 Fort Worth Avenue near Oak Cliff and has more than 700 gravesites registered. Of those, about 400 are unmarked and 16 are veterans.
For nearly two years, neighbors and volunteers with the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group have been hard at work.
“I used to have children that went to school just up the hill,” Patricia Erickson said. Erickson said she was intrigued by the old cemetery that was overgrown and neglected.
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“They had already started cleaning the cemetery when we came to volunteer, and we just found an opportunity to volunteer online,” Erickson said. “My husband and I put in over 800 hours this last year.”
On this Veterans Day, there are pathways and visible tombstones.
“It’s amazing, the difference,” Erickson said. “We’re making an effort to make this cemetery more accessible.”
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On Monday morning, Erickson and a group of about 10 volunteers gathered to pay their respects and learn more about the 16 veterans whose bodies are believed to be buried in Western Heights Cemetery.
Van Johnson helped lead Monday’s living biography tour. He spends much of his time volunteering at the cemetery.
“Western Heights Cemetery is 176 years old. It’s one of the oldest cemeteries in Dallas County,” Johnson said. “This is our second Veterans Day observance.”
The group went around to place an American flag at each of the 16 graves.
“We have about 16 veterans. 12 of those are from the Civil War. Five of those are Union. Seven are Confederate. And then a couple WWI and WWII graves,” Johnson said.
The group of volunteers said they are proud of the small, yet meaningful turnout.
“It’s a real joy to see this many people. It's still not a big crowd, but hopefully, over the next few years we can increase the numbers a little bit,” Erickson said. “You can go to the National Cemetery and people are always there honoring the veterans. But you go to lots of these older cemeteries and sometimes there's no one doing anything for them. And whether or not they're from the Civil War, regardless of which side they fought on or if they're from WWI or WWII, they don't deserve to be forgotten.”
