P.A. Watson Cemetery Plaque

In the quiet corner of bustling Arlington, framed by a fence that’s seen better days, rests a piece of history – the P.A. Watson Cemetery. It’s not just any cemetery. The P.A. Watson Cemetery is a silent sentinel that whispers tales of the early days, of pioneers and hardships. In 1846, a somber event took place here. A family, newly arrived in this untamed land, laid to rest Mrs. Micajah Goodwin. With heavy hearts, they fashioned a coffin from their wagon bed and marked her grave with burned brush, a desperate attempt to conceal it from potential Native American raiders. A few years later, in 1853, a man named Patrick Alfred Watson, originally from North Carolina, purchased the land. Recognizing its sanctity, he designated one acre as a cemetery, a final resting place for the early settlers. But the P.A. Watson Cemetery’s story doesn’t end there. In 1870, Watson donated land for a structure that would serve as the Watson Community’s first school and church, known later as the West Fork Presbyterian Church. The P.A. Watson Cemetery bore witness to the growth and evolution of this community, a silent partner in its progress. As the years rolled by, progress demanded its due. In 1956, with the construction of the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike, the church was relocated. Yet, the P.A. Watson Cemetery remained, a testament to the enduring legacy of the past, a place where history sleeps beneath the Texas sun.