The community of Letot was established about 1881 by Clement Letot. This cemetery was established for the residents of the area: No member of the Letot family is known to be buried at this location (they are buried at the Letot Family Cemetery located at 3235 Lombardy Lane). Letot was never incorporated and was absorbed by the city of Dallas in the 1970s.
The first documented burial occurred in 1884.
Additional Burials At Letot Prohibited
“Additional burials in the old Letot Cemetery on Shady Trail were prohibited Monday by a City Council resolution. Health director J. W. Bass reported that the cemetery is so crowded that any additional burials there would create a health hazard.” [The Dallas Morning News, July 13, 1954]
97 burials are documented.
Old Letot Cemetery. Established 1870s” (2002)
Location & Access
On the East side of Shady Trail between Northwest Highway and Walnut Hill, just South of Manana Drive.
The cemetery is fully fenced and the gate is locked. When viewed in April 2026 it was unmowed and overgrown.
- Address: 10740 Shady Trail
- Legal Description: BLK 6471, 0.7346 AC
- Original Survey: James S. Shelby – 1354
- Map Grid: 23-S (Dallas)
- MAPSCO: 23U
- GPS: 325223N, 0965322W
- Owner: City of Dallas
History/Background
Number of Burials by Decade:
- 1880s: 2
- 1890s: 4
- 1900s: 18
- 1910s: 47
- 1920s: 26
- 1930s: 28
- 1940s: 48
- 1950s: 2
- 1960s: 4
- 1970s: 2
- 2010s: 1
References & Sources
- Old Letot Cemetery (Contributed by David Johnson) – https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~jwheat/history/cemeteries/oldletot/oldletotcemetery.html
- Recent Cemetery Visits: Old Letot, Letot and Mooneyham-Sparkman – https://dallaspioneer.org/recent-cemetery-visits-3/
The exact address of the cemetery has been mangled a bit….
- The Texas Historical Commission Historical Designation application form (August 12, 2002) lists the address as 10700 Shady Trail Lane, and that is the address shown on the Texas Historical Commission website.
- The City Dallas All Dallas Designations Master List Spreadsheet (line 277) say 10700 Shady Trail as well.
- Billion Graves says the address is 2612 Manana Dr
- FindAGrave seems to think it is located at 2608 Manana Dr. They further state “For Access to this cemetery, contact Forest Lawn Cemetery, Dallas, Texas – 214-357-2374”.
- However, Google Maps indicates that it is located at 10740 Shady Trail Lane
- The Dallas County DCAD listing for 10740 Shady Trail Lane (shown above) does not designate that address as a cemetery.
