Tarrant County TXGenWeb - Gilliland Cemetery

Tarrant County, TXGenWeb

Gilliland Cemetery

Contributed by Rob Yoder

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers moved the graves from five cemeteries during the construction of Benbrook Lake. Gilliland Cemetery was also under consideration to be moved, but was spared. The new resting place for the other five was the Merinda Seminary Graveyard, now known as Benbrook Cemetery. All of the information on this page was abstracted from the Corp of Engineers 1949 report titled "Cemetery Relocation Plan, Benbrook Dam and Reservoir."

The Gilliland Cemetery is rectangular in shape as nearly as can be determined. It is situated ia a dense growth of trees and brush as shown in the photograph.

It is a very old burial ground located on privately owned land, so far as can be ascertained. This land is presently owned by Leslie S. Armstrong.

The few tombstone markers having inscriptions thereon, indicate burials from 1861 to 1869. These all bear the name "Gilliland." The Gillilands were relatives of Leslie S. Armstrong, the present land owner.

Many years ago a schoolhouse stood in the near vicinity of the cemetery, believed to have been called "Pecan Grove School."

Graves of Others besides the Gillilands are known to be here, but a complete and thorough investigation has not been made concerning this cemetery. It will be noted on the map of the Gilliland Cemetery that the ground elevation of the lowest grave is approximately 738 feet. About one-half of the graves lie between elevations 738 feet and 741 feet, the maximum high water elevation. The flood of 1949, reached elevation 736.5 feet, as nearly as could be determined from high-water marks. This flood was the greatest that could be remembered by old time residents in the vicinity.

Mr. Leslie S. Armstrong, previously mentioned, feels that this cemetery should not be moved as he believes that there will be very few times that the flood waters may cover any of these graves, and in the event that any were covered it would be of short duration and, further, it would be spending Government money needlessly.

It is, therefore, being recommended that the Gilliland Cemetery not be relocated; for this reason it has not been included in the specifications for removal, nor does this report contemplate such relocation in any way.

Grave identification was not performed on this cemetery because the relocation of the cemetery is not being recommended.

This page was last modified 13 Feb 2003.