Samuel and E. A., quite a pair they were. Imagine donating five acres of your land in 1870. That’s exactly what Samuel Sloan and E. A. Gracey did. They gifted this land, right here in the heart of what was then the pioneer town of Lisbon, to establish a church and cemetery. This Lisbon Cemetery Plaque tells their story, and the story of this land. Today, it’s a peaceful patch of green swallowed by the sprawl of Dallas. But back then, it was the heart of a budding community. The oldest grave here belongs to James J. Dowd, who died on October 24, 1871, just a year after the land was donated. Imagine the townsfolk coming together to mourn their own, the somber sound of hymns echoing through the wooden beams of the newly built church and school. For years, Lisbon Cemetery was a hub of activity, a place for worship, learning, and remembrance. Then, as time marched on, the school closed its doors in 1917, and the churches relocated, leaving the cemetery as the last sentinel of old Lisbon. But the story didn’t end there. In 1948, descendants of Lisbon’s pioneers, honoring the legacy of their ancestors, came together to form the Lisbon Cemetery Association. Thanks to their dedication, this hallowed ground stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of early Dallas and a poignant reminder of the lives lived and lost.
University of Texas at Dallas
You are standing in front of the heart of the Telecom Corridor. This is a complex of multinational technology companies,