DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just the same. Now, picture two pioneer roads crossing out there in what's now Dallas County — the kind of roads that settlers wore into the earth just by needing to get somewhere. Those two roads are still there today, running as Buckner Boulevard and Scyene Road, and right at that intersection stands Pleasant Mound Cemetery.
A place has a way of collecting stories when roads cross like that, and this one's been collectin' them for a good long while. Burials were taking place on that property as early as 1869. Think on that — the ground was already holding people before anyone had thought to put up a single marked stone.
The first marked grave didn't come until 1881, and it belongs to William L. Knox. That same year, Newton and Catherine Hustead — Catherine born a Beeman — formally donated the land to the Pleasant Mound Methodist Church, specifically for use as a cemetery.
A formal donation, a marked grave, a church taking stewardship — 1881 was a year that shaped what this place would become. Over time, additional acreage was added, the cemetery grew, and in 1906 the Pleasant Mound Cemetery Association took over its care and has been maintaining it ever since. Two old roads, one quiet intersection, and ground that's been holding the memory of this community since before most of the city around it had a name.
What the marker says
At the intersection of two well-traveled pioneer roads, now Buckner Blvd. and Scyene Rd., this cemetery serves as a reflection of the heritage of this area. Burials took place on the property as early as 1869, but the first marked grave, that of William L. Knox, dates to 1881. In that year, Newton and Catherine (Beeman) Hustead formally donated the land to the Pleasant Mound Methodist church for use as a cemetery. Over the years, additional acreage was added to the cemetery, which has been maintained by the Pleasant Mound Cemetery Association since 1906.