Wichita Falls, Texas, Riverside Cemetery. (original) (raw)

Historical Marker Text

Riverside Cemetery

This municipal burial ground dates back to the early days of settlement in Wichita Falls. The area was sparsely settled before tracks of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad reached here in September 1882. Citizens received a state charter for the Wichita Falls Cemetery Association in April 1885. The following year, R.E. Montgomery, trustee of the Panhandle Townsite Company, sold a plat of land for two dollars in the city�s Bellevue Addition to be used as a cemetery. Joseph Kemp was president of the cemetery association, who sold the property to the city of Wichita Falls in 1892 for one dollar. The name Riverside indicating the graveyard�s location near the Wichita River, became the official name around this time.

African American citizens organized the �Riverside Colored Burial Association,� and in 1906 the city sold the association a half-acre on Riverside�s northwest corner. Hundreds of burials took place in that section, although today few grave markers remain. Improvement to Riverside over the years included a chapel, iron fencing and gates, landscaping and street paving.

Significant individuals buried here include Minnie Mae Kemp Adickes (1874-1931), the city�s first female realtor, and also a contractor for hundreds of homes; James V. Allred (1899-1959), Attorney General and Governor of Texas and federal judge; Joseph H. Barwise (1829-1927), pioneer settler, county judge and community leader known as �The Father of Wichita Falls�; Frank Kell (1859-1941), businessman, banker and entrepreneur; Joseph Kemp (1861-1930), developer of area railroads, oil fields and irrigation; and many other important citizens. The cemetery features prominent statuary, mausoleums, and carved monuments.

Historic Texas Cemetery � 2007

Riverside Cemetery Historical Marker
Photo courtesy David Cole

Filix L. Lindsey Historical Marker
Photo courtesy David Cole

Frank Kell Historical Marker
Photo courtesy David Cole

Photographer's Note:
"For New Year's Day, we went to Wichita Falls. There's some nifty architecture up that way! I notice Barclay Gibson already has several "around town" shots posted but you don't have any of the cemetery (Riverside). One of the more interesting aspects to me was that they actually posted a "map" of the plots outside their office. " - David Cole

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