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Dallas City Cemetery Anthropology

Decent Essays

A great many books have been written about cemeteries in Dallas, Texas. More specifically, many of these books are based on the pioneer cemeteries of Dallas's founding families. Many of Dallas's older cemeteries are not in use today for anything more than tours or an occasional local history lesson in a quiet park, and some of these cemeteries have been absorbed by large funeral companies while others are protected by private organizations. Dallas's rich history contains a variety of cemeteries that tell us how burial practices in Dallas have reflected Dallas’s societal changes.
Public burial sites were intended to serve the whole community and are closely integrated into community history. The sites carry multiple social and political …show more content…

Near the end of the Civil War and afterward, the poor, diverse minorities and the poor whites were openly criticized by the white elites and their counterparts. Such people were considered responsible for illness, sin and violence. Despite these attitudes, people were mixed together throughout the cemetery regardless of race, financial standing, religion or age. So how did it come to pass that the Dallas City Cemetery became such a melting pot of interments? First, I will explain what was going on socially in Dallas that allowed for social blending in the cemetery when racism and discrimination were so high. Second, I will compare the differences in how the wealthy were laid to rest versus the poor. Finally, I will study how capitalism has been able to profit from the …show more content…

A wooden marker was generally used with no identification of the deceased. “Little thought was given to marking the grave site because the gravedigger seldom expected to be able to protect and maintain the site.” In the 1840s, as people began to settle into the Dallas area, burial practices changed. These early pioneers buried their loved ones in unorganized, isolated places usually on the family’s land. Occasionally, the spot on the family farm might even be shared by a neighboring family. Family burial sites can be found all around Dallas in random places, such as the Letot, Daniel or Caruth family cemeteries. However, these sites are actually considered plots rather than cemeteries as they were not designed for perpetual care. The notion of protecting the dead was not a concern at the time and certainly not in the manner as it is

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