Enoch B Horton (1777-1851) arrived in Dallas with his family in 1844, settling in the area that would become known as Eagle Ford. Enoch and three of his sons (James, John, and Enoch Jr.) obtained land as Peters Colony settlers. James Horton set aside 11 acres of his property to be used as a cemetery when his sister (Martha Horton) died in 1848. Two adjacent 1-acre cemeteries were established: the Horton Family Cemetery on the western portion of the property and the variously named Horton Negro Cemetery on the eastern portion of the property.
The Horton Family Cemetery was used as a burial place for Horton family members and other setters who lived in the area. The Horton Negro Cemetery (also known as the “Horton Slave”, the “Horton Negro Section” and the “Mount Olive Baptist Church of Eagle Ford colored cemetery”) was used to bury slaves, field hands and negro residents from the nearby town of Eagle Ford. The last known burial occurred in 1956. Best estimates place the number of burials at 100.
The burials published by the Dallas Genealogical Society in Dallas County, Texas; Genealogical Data from Early Cemeteries, Volume V have been updated through a cross-check of death certificates and of death notices in the Dallas Morning News.
Texas Historical Commission - Texas Historic Site Atlas
Background
Crestview Memorial Park, Inc. dedicated 10 acres of land in the James Horton survey as a perpetual care cemetery on 27 October 1954 (Volume 4140, Page 115 of the Deed Records of Dallas County, Texas). It is not clear if this included the Horton Family Cemetery. It did NOT appear to include the Horton Negro Cemetery.
View Volume 4140, Page 115The formal dedication was rescinded by a court order on 19 November 1968. The property described in the order did NOT include the Horton Family Cemetery or the Horton Negro Cemetery.
(Document images obtained from the Dallas Municipal Archives, Public Works Survey Division Cemetery Files, 1887-2005, Collection 2005-005 – Horton Family – Box 6, Folder 2 by Tony Hanson on 15 January 2025.)
Judgement – Page 1Judgement – Page 2
A City of Dallas Office Memorandum dated February 8, 1973 (Subject: Horton Cemetery, Loop 12 to Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike) stated:
“The only formal dedication of this cemetery was made by the Crestview Memorial Park, Inc., on October 27, 1954. This dedication included the original Horton and Negro cemeteries. By Court Order dated November 19, 1968 all of the cemetery dedicated, except the original Horton and Negro Cemeteries, was condemned and remove from said dedication.”
(Document image obtained from the Dallas Municipal Archives, Public Works Survey Division Cemetery Files, 1887-2005, Collection 2005-005 – Horton Family – Box 6, Folder 2 by Tony Hanson on 15 January 2025.)
View the MemorandumLocation & Access
South of I-30, east of Walton Walker (Loop 12), Dallas, Texas (Arcadia Park). Construction around the cemetery has restricted access. At present, (early 2025) the best way to reach the cemetery is from the North Bagley Street loop located in the La Loma trailer park (which is posted as private property): The cemetery is to the North.
- Address: 1500 S. Walton Walker Blvd. Dallas TX 75211
- Legal Description: Lot 2, Block A/8328 (2,330 Acres, 101,627 Square Feet). In the James Horton Survey, Abstract Number 610.
- GPS: 32.7603989, -96.9127884 (Google)
- Owners:
- TXI Operations, LP 1341 W. Mockingbird Lane Dallas TX 75247.
- Commerce 30 Building D, LLC, 3819 Maple Avenue Dallas TX 75219
“Victoria Clow, Preservation Dallas Member - 27 January 2025
History/Background
James Horton Sr. (1816-1876) claimed 320 acres from the Peters Colony (Abstract 610, File Number: 001636) on 14 November 1851. When his sister (Martha Horton (1829-1848)) died, he set aside 11 acres of his property to be used as a cemetery. However, it appears that only 2.5 acres of the land were actually utilized for this purpose.
- The Horton Family Cemetery is co-located with, adjacent to and West of the Horton Negro Cemetery. The property is 278 feet wide and 197.6 feet tall (54,933 square feet, 1.261 acres).
- The Horton Negro Cemetery is co-located with adjacent to and East of the Horton Family Cemetery. The property is 221 feet wide and 198.1 feet tall (54,933 square feet, 1.261 acres).
- This property has been referred to as the “Horton Slave”, the “Horton Negro Section” and the “Mount Olive Baptist Church of Eagle Ford colored” cemetery.
“Horton Family Cemetery” article by Susanna Clark-Smith (2005):
References & Sources
- Dallas Municipal Archives, Public Works Survey Division Cemetery Files, 1887-2005, Collection 2005-005.
- Horton Family – Box 6, Folder 2
- Mount Olive – Box 7, Folder 22
- Crestview Memorial Park – Box 3, Folder 1
- North Dallas Memorial Park – Box 7, Folder 26
- Frances James collection – Box 5 – Various folders
- “Old Cemeteries of Dallas Country”, Historic Spots Committee of James Butler Bonham Chapter, D.R.T. (about 1938)
- “Old cemeteries of Dallas County” by Willie Flowers Carlisle, 1948.
- “Grand Prairie, Texas Cemeteries (April 1987)” published by the Grand Prairie Genealogical Society in April 1987.
- “Beginnings and Evolution of the Mexican-American Hispanic Communities in Dallas County: People, Places and Folklore”, Alexander M. Troup & Associated, 1998
- “Horton Family Cemetery” article by Susanna Clark-Smith. Published on the Cemeteries of Texas website. The article has a 2005 copyright date: http://www.cemeteries-of-tx.com/Etx/Dallas/cemetery/Hortonfamily.htm
- “Horton family established the bygone Eagle Ford community” by Gayla Brooks, published in the Oak Cliff Advocate, July 22, 2011: https://oakcliff.advocatemag.com/2011/07/backstory-august-nesting-ground/
- “Information about the Horton Cemetery, Dallas Texas” (2025) – Tony Hanson
