Throughout one of Dallas Countyโs 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.
โI used to have children that went to school just up the hill,โ Patricia Erickson said. Erickson said she was intrigued by the old cemetery that was overgrown and neglected.
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โThey had already started cleaning the cemetery when we came to volunteer, and we just found an opportunity to volunteer online,โ Erickson said. โMy husband and I put in over 800 hours this last year.โ
On this Veterans Day, there are pathways and visible tombstones.
โItโs amazing, the difference,โ Erickson said. โWeโre making an effort to make this cemetery more accessible.โ
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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 Mondayโs living biography tour. He spends much of his time volunteering at the cemetery.
โWestern Heights Cemetery is 176 years old. Itโs one of the oldest cemeteries in Dallas County,โ Johnson said. โThis is our second Veterans Day observance.โ
The group went around to place an American flag at each of the 16 graves.
โWe 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,โ Johnson said.
The group of volunteers said they are proud of the small, yet meaningful turnout.
โItโs 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,โ Erickson said. โYou 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.โ