This Texas Historical Marker is located near where Meadowbrook Drive intersects with Meadowbrook Boulevard in far East Fort Worth.
As I've driven by this overgrown Texas Historical Marker, dozens of times I've told myself that one day I need to stop and see what it is that is being historically marked with a Texas Historical Marker at this location.
Today was finally the day I got around to seeing what was being marked here.
I wondered if it might be one of the ubiquitous Bonnie & Clyde crime spree locations. Or something equally nefarious, figuring that this Texas Historical Marker must mark something notorious, hence its overgrown, uncared for state.
It was a bit of a damp challenge to get up close enough to read the Texas Historical Marker to learn it had nothing to do with Bonnie & Clyde, but instead was marking a cemetery.
Harrison Cemetery to be precise.
The information on the marker describing Harrison Cemetery....
When first used, this one-acre cemetery belonged to Tarrant County pioneer D.C. Harrison. The earliest known grave is that of Mary E. Harrison (1864-71). Several early settlers used this site, including R.A. Randol (1850-1922), the operator of Randol Mill, who bought this tract in 1895 and deeded it forever as a burial ground. Graves here number about sixty and include those of the Edward Deason family, Randol's first wife Ronda(Harrison) (1859-82). His brother John C. Randol, who died in an 1894 mill accident, and his wife Nancy Cannon Harrision (1833-83), mother of Ronda Harrison Randol.
Randol is a rather well known name in this part of the country. A section of Randol Mill Road, it being a road which seems to run all over Tarrant County, is near Harrison Cemetery.
Why has this cemetery fallen into such a shameful state of being untended and overgrown with jungle-like foliage?
Seems odd that this cemetery would warrant a Texas Historical Marker, but not warrant being cared for.
Very perplexing....
This is a privately owned cemetery and the current owners - as I understand it, a descendant of the Harrison family - chooses not to accept help with care for this cemetery. Its decline is certainly unfortunate as it is the resting place of JC Randol, who had a mill in this area and now has a well known road named for that mill.
ReplyDeleteI'm a descendant and I've been there and I'm very upset that it is so bad. I have other Harrison family members that would gladly going clean it up if we knew who owned it. The branch of our family that actually lives in terrent county isn't very helpful with information Even with other family members
DeleteHow shameful of the current family members who own it. I lived by there as a kid and found the plot fascinating. I'm a local history buff and drove by there yesterday. I was truly disheartening to see it now. They should sell the plot to the city since it has no moral value to them
ReplyDeleteA local Boy Scout troop cleaned the cemetery in 2014 and again in October 2015. You might want to drop by again...
ReplyDelete