Celebrate Oak Cliff History Day With Clyde Barrow’s Ghost at Western Heights Cemetery

Oak Cliff History Day, a community event celebrating the rich history of the area, takes place on Saturday, May 4, at the Western Heights Cemetery, the final resting place of the infamous gangster Clyde Barrow. 

This cemetery has drawn the Bonnie and Clyde crowd for decades, but there is so much more here. Cemeteries are the ultimate keepers of our history and this particular one has 18 veterans, 13 of which are from the Civil War.

There are 307 markers with the oldest from 1862. You can learn a lot in a cemetery if you start looking into the names and relationships, and often there are some truly captivating and scandalous stories waiting to be discovered.  

Western Heights was in a sad state not long ago. But thanks to the dedicated volunteers with the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group (FWADG), it’s now on the path to restoration. The FWADG was formed to develop existing businesses and bring new ones to the West Commerce/Fort Worth Avenue corridor. It has been instrumental in reviving Western Heights on multiple levels. 

What most people don’t know is that cemeteries are important to history in many ways. Not only are our forefathers buried in them, but the native landscape is also important.

From Burial Grounds to Biodiversity

Van Johnson, who began Oak Cliff History Day and has served on the FWADG board, is quite the gardener. His garden draws the masses each October during the butterfly migration. He offers a free one-hour tour of Western Heights and knows the cemetery better than anyone. When you take the tour, you can ask him about the scandalous stories!

“Graveyards are a surprising reserve of biodiversity,” Johnson said. “For instance, a species of lichen is extinct everywhere except for a cemetery in Berlin. Because they have largely been neglected, biodiversity has increased.”

As efforts to restore Western Heights to its original state grew, the FWADG collaborated with Preservation Dallas and the Constellation of Living Memorials, a non-profit organization dedicated to the revival of historic and forgotten cemeteries, turning them into native plant and wildlife havens. Through the Constellation of Living Memorials‘ two-year pilot program, they received a grant from the Texas Historical Foundation to create a native pollinator habitat.

Victoria Clow, President of Preservation Dallas and an adjunct professor at Dallas College, is our local cemetery expert. 

“The collaboration between Preservation Dallas and The Constellation of Living Memorials will marry the historic elements and recognition of the Western Heights site with conservation and restoration of the cemetery with the environment,” she said.  

Preserving Monuments to The Past

The saying that it takes a village could not be demonstrated better than in the restoration of this historic cemetery. So many people have come forward to volunteer time and resources to help in the restoration of Western Heights.

Western Heights has also received historic designation from the state and is now working on city designation.  

“Once the paperwork is submitted, the cemetery is protected from development,” Senior Planner Dr. Rhonda Dunn said. This designation is critical today as developers are encroaching on many public and private cemeteries.

Brinn Flores is one of those boots-on-the-ground folks conducting the field aspect of the work. He’s a former student of Clow’s and is physically involved with the work along with two students from Dallas College. Preservation Dallas Associate Palmer Bradshaw is the project manager, handling the historic aspects of the project.

“It’s such a historic site,” Flores said. “I was there cleaning headstones today and saw two separate groups of people come to see Clyde Barrow’s grave. It’s an enormous attraction. In addition to Clyde Barrow, there are people involved in the original surveys that would go on to become Dallas. Preserving it means a lot to me.”

Don’t miss out on Oak Cliff History Day on Saturday, May 4. From learning about history to participating in headstone cleaning, there’s something for everyone. And, of course, you can’t forget those scandalous stories that are sure to intrigue and entertain! This is an event that promises to be both educational and exciting. It’s a perfect opportunity to dive into the rich history of the cemetery and the community.  

In case of rain, the Oak Cliff History Day celebrations will move to May 11.