Forest Hill Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'm going to give it the telling it deserves. Now, out here in Tarrant County, there are places that hold more history than they let on. Forest Hill Cemetery is one of them.

One of the oldest burial grounds in the whole county, and the thing is, people were already laying their dead to rest here for many years before anybody thought to write a single thing down. Before the record-keepers arrived. Before the ink dried on anything official at all.

In 1883, a landowner by the name of J.W. Chapman deeded the property over to Forest Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The church, for its part, eventually dropped "Cumberland" from the name.

But the ground itself? The ground kept right on doing what it had always done. Among the many pioneers interred here, two names stand out: Press and Jane Farmer.

Now hold onto that for just a moment, because here's the thing about Press and Jane: they lived at the very site of Fort Worth before the U.S. Army ever established the Fort in 1849. Before the Army.

Before the flag went up. Before the fort had a name anybody was saluting. They were already there.

The cemetery is full. That much is certain. But you'd be hard pressed to know it walking through.

Most graves were unmarked, or marked with field stones that have long since disappeared into the earth. The headstones you can see are few. The stories underneath them are many.

A place that was old before it was recorded, full but nearly invisible; Forest Hill Cemetery has been keeping its secrets a good while longer than most of us have been around to ask.

What the marker says

One of the oldest burial grounds in Tarrant County; named for its location and used for many years before record-keeping began. In 1883 landowner J.W. Chapman deeded the property to Forest Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church. ("Cumberland" was later dropped from the name.) Among the many interments of pioneers were Press and Jane Farmer, who lived at site of Fort Worth before the U.S. Army established the Fort in 1849. The cemetery is full although few headstones are visible, as most graves were unmarked or marked with field stones that have since disappeared. (1974)