Preserving history

Recently, we were grateful for the opportunity to recognize Scouts Victoria Myers and Nathan Danforth during Denton County Commissioners Court for their contributions to recent restoration efforts at the historic Black Champion-Macedonia Cemetery in Lewisville. 

Victoria is a senior at Townview School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas and is a Girl Scout on her way to the coveted Gold Award. She lives in Denton County, heard about this cemetery, and stepped up to take ownership of its care. She raised funds, led the installation of a wrought iron fence with a gated entry, and created Project 80 Roots to continue beautifying the cemetery.

Nathan’s Eagle Scout project centered around the same place. This cemetery is the final resting place of multiple African American Veterans whose graves were unmarked. Nathan has worked to pay tribute to those heroes. He placed a 24-foot flagpole with an American flag inside the cemetery and researched each veteran’s history of military service. Beside their headstones, he placed an American flag, a medallion showing their branch of service, and a QR code that links to a website detailing their history. 

We also recognized Jacqueline Shaw, the Champion-Macedonia Cemetery Committee Chair – a position she’s carried to heart. She worked with Nathan and Victoria on their projects, and organized clean-ups in January 2022 and January 2023, bringing many together to clean up this historic cemetery and make it a place of reverence for families who visit their loved ones. She and I worked with the Texas Historical Commission to obtain an Official Texas Historical Marker for the cemetery. I am so very grateful for her dedicated work to preserving the history of our Black Lewisville area families. I also would like to thank Cassie Whitley and those with family members buried in the cemetery who allowed us to work there to help preserve their history.

I’ve attended many services there since coming to Lewisville in 1971. To see it today with the wonderful gated entry, the white crosses marking each grave, the new signs across each of the two cemeteries, and the recognition of the veterans who served our country moves me beyond words. 

Preserving history is important for everyone, including our Black families. As we honor our Black history, it is important to know what we have done in Lewisville and what we continue to do across Denton County. 

At the Denton County Historical Park at 317 W. Mulberry St. in Denton, the Denton County African American Museum includes many wonderful photos and stories of Black families who lived here at a time when our county was just starting to take shape. 

The award-winning museum chronicles the lives of African American families and the end of Quakertown in the 1920s when the city relocated the town of more than 50 African American families and locally owned businesses to make room for a new park. The museum also features exhibits of papers and medical supplies from Dr. Edwin D. Moten, Denton’s first African American physician. To learn more about Quakertown, consider joining the Quakertown Park Walking Tour at 1 pm.

Plans are underway for a second home from Quakertown, the Woods House, which we hope to open soon. We also continue to work with others across the county in preserving Black history. 

Let me close with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, in 1964: “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

Connect With Us:  Be sure and connect with Denton County on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DentonCountyTX and on Twitter @DentonCountyTX. You can also follow me at www.facebook.com/DentonCountyCommissionerBobbieMitchellIf you have any questions or comments, please let me hear from you. My email is bobbie.mitchell@dentoncounty.com and my office number is 972-434-4780.