Councilwoman Paula Blackmon enjoying the Chris Freeman land survey equipment demo…tools used in the mid 1800’s. View more pictures from the event, click here.
The Sunshine-filled Fundraiser weaved together history, Land conservation, Texas-Native Wildlife and community at the Historic Warren Ferris Cemetery.
This celebration was a full afternoon filled with:
A remembrance for Susanne Starling, Ferris biographer & author
Demonstrations of historic surveying techniques
White Iris bulb give-a-way
Native wild-flower seed scattering to repopulate the spring/summer foliage
Food & beverages provided by Ascension Cafe: Crafted Coffee, Food & Wine
Car service from your parked car to the cemetery provided by Planet Lincoln Love Field
Live music
Tours
Silent Auction
Why this event to help the Historic Warren Ferris Cemetery raise crucial funding?
Be a part of a fun afternoon, learn more about your neighborhood and East Dallas’ history.
All proceeds from the event go towards the creation of a self-guided walking tour for students, teachers, historians, and our community to enjoy, see self-guided tour content below. The cemetery needs ongoing improvements and maintenance with paths, entrance markers, signage, and more to make it fun and educational for self-guided tours.
Additional donations made will help pay for the Ferris Cemetery Self-Guided Tour.
What will the self guided tour provide:
The use of QR code will open to a Self-Guided Tour tab on the FWFC website, includes voice over to tell the story for each line item below.
1. Opens to a map of cemetery with the tour starting on the San Leandro entrance. Begin the walk to the right side of the figure 8 pathway (as defined on the map)
2. The FWFC mission
3. Who was Warren Angus Ferris
4. The White Iris Berm Story
5. Bird Houses throughout: bee house, owl house, bat house, plus
6. The historic marker & medallion – last person buried, Rev. Taylor
7. Water feature for wildlife
8. Boulder benches – invite guests to sit for a while and enjoy the sounds
9. Wildlife cameras – include link to view archived footage, a means to collect data
10. Lower cemetery/Upper cemetery segregation – provide link to Dr. Keaton’s documentary segment
11. Benjamin Dye Headstone story
12. One year research by Genealogist Donald Payton on finding additional names buried there – provide link to names
13. Baby graves in the upper cemetery – possibly Ferris’s infant children?
14. Native plant donations through Texas Conservation Alliance and Texas Discover garden, and provide a link to Ferris Cemetery iNaturalist page to review data to record on native plants identified to date.
15. The importance of native plants
16. How FWFC received their 501C3 status
17. Link to list of accomplishments
18. Volunteer opportunities
19. Donation link
20. Opportunity to leave a message/suggestion via ferriswildlife@gmail.com or leave a letter in the birdhouse mailbox
The history of FWFC :
• Formed an effective working organization with a formal Board & Board of Advisors
• Created a website to showcase archived newsletters, the documentary, over
25 stories in the descendant blog, a list of Board Members, Board of Advisors, progress review, goals, awards
• Obtained a property survey to develop a landscape restoration plan
• Earned a Preservation Dallas Achievement Award and a Texas Historic
Cemetery Medallion from the Texas Historical Commission in 2021
• Completed a one-year research finding the lost names of the people buried
• Located and contacted numerous families whose ancestors are buried at the cemetery
Susanne Starling’s book on Warren Ferris
Ferris Yellowstone maps
• Completed and donated a 7-part documentary, “The Ferris Cemetery, A Future As Well As a Past” to the Dallas Public Library System for school access
• Recognized in the 2021 & 2202 Native Plant Society of Texas Video Awards
• Significantly improved the cemetery condition by continual removal of invasive plants
• Planted over 175 native plants and trees
• Amassed over 350 volunteer hours working in the cemetery
• Identified over 100 native plants
• Published over 25 newsletters which include stories about descendants.
• Shared our experience with other historic cemeteries to assist them in their restoration, 501c3 status, volunteer coordination: McCree Cemetery, Glover Cemetery, Campo Santo de Cemento Grande
• Invited to participate in the East White Rock Lake Garden Tour three consecutive years
• Partnered with the following groups to work toward our shared goals: Texas Conservation Alliance, The Texas Discovery Garden, North Texas Master Gardeners Association, Native Plant Society of Texas, Statewide & Dallas
• Developed the Tree of Life Program for native tree adoption from cemetery to Dallas high schools
• Developed the Constellation Living Memorial program in partnership with the Native Plant Society of Texas
• Secured partnership with North Texas Master Naturalist for membership volunteer credits
• Installed a natural rock water feature qualifying as a certified Monarch Butterfly Waystation and Wildlife Habitat
• Hosted over 3 dozen community lectures, art groups and volunteer study/opportunity, provided seating for meditation and general enjoyment or public enjoyment in the Ferris Cemetery garden
