Today’s story begins in a quiet neighborhood of Grand Prairie—one most residents have never seen, though it holds the stories of some of our city’s earliest families, and more than 100 veterans who served our country.
It’s called Antioch Life Park Cemetery, a historic site tucked near Mountain Creek Lake. This sacred ground was once home to Antioch Baptist Church, the Masonic Lodge, and the heart of a thriving Black community known as The Line. Before Grand Prairie had paved streets, before there were bridges or neighborhoods stretching to the lake, families worshiped here, learned here, and built lives of faith and resilience.
Many of the men buried in this soil served in World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and beyond. Here are the known veterans with headstones at the cemetery:
Jack Adams
Will Adams
John Alexander
Bennie Allen
John Allen Jr.
Charles Anderson
Joseph V. Angle
Floyd Brown
James Brown
Vester Lee Caraway
Tyree Casey
J. Harvey Casey Jr.
Bird Christopher
Mack L. Clark
Judge Cole
Orville Taylor Cole
Robert L. Cook
Robert L. Cook Jr.
Bobby Joe Cooper
Robert Egan
William Egan
James Fain
Charles E. Fininen
Fred L. Foley
Gerald Gregory
Sidney Griggs
George W. Hardeman
Sidney Harmon
John Harris
Raymond Harris
Willie Harris
A.W. Hawthorne
L. D. Hayes
Leonza Herndon
Elmer Hill
Thomas Hill
C.J. Holland
Jackie Johnson
Johnny Johnson
Nolan Tray Johnson
Troy “Nub” Johnson
Ceolen Jones
Larry Eugene Jones
Sam Jones
Charlie L. Jordan
Robert Kennedy
Clarence Lee
Wilbert Little
Larry Dean Marshall
Charles McMillan
Charles Messmer
Ira Middleton
Edward Miholek
Loucious M Miller
Frank Montgomery
Ralph Moore
James E. Morton
Willie Mims Nelson
Alvin Nobles
Will Reed
Chester Lewis Richardson
Willie Henry Robinson
Cecil Rodgers
William Russell
Hubert Scott
James A Smith
Urel Smith
Cordia Smith Jr.
Jack W Smothers
Tarl Smothers
James Sneed
Jessie Spears
James C., Sr Stevenson
Ronald Storey
A.D. Sweatt
Sheridan Talley
Major Tallie
Tyree Taylor
Francisco Terrazas
Lawrence Thompson
Marvin Turner
Governor Walker
Elijah West
Jaysee O. White
Nat Williams
Rudolph Williams
Willie Williams
Willie Willis
Clyde Willrich
Johnnie Wiseman
James Wittman
Eddie Wren
James Yoder
Dr. Angela Lucky Vaughn, whose ancestors are buried at Antioch Life Park, is determined to keep this cemetery in the city’s memory. In our interview, she shared that most of the veterans here were African-American soldiers, laid to rest long before there was a designated Veterans Cemetery in the region. Some headstones have been swallowed by the earth, others lost under trees. Despite outreach to officials, the cemetery receives no funding or city maintenance, relying instead on volunteers who give their weekends to mow grass, clean headstones, and plant flags.
“We have more than a hundred veterans here,” Angela said.
“They served our country. They deserve to be remembered.”
The cemetery is privately owned, which makes funding from the municipal and federal government challenging, despite the number of veterans buried here. However, this cemetery suffers from foundation issues and sinking soil that are exp
That passion for remembrance is at the heart of a new tradition: Grand Prairie Veterans Day Parade, taking place this year on Saturday, November 8.
The parade will circle the waterfront behind The Epic, with speakers and entertainment at The Jambox Park. It’s a collaboration among local organizations, schools, and citizens who believe that honoring veterans means recognizing all who served.
Then, on Monday, November 10, high school students will gather at Antioch Life Park to clean headstones and place American flags on every veteran’s grave. It’s a powerful act of service—and one that ensures a new generation learns about the people who came before them.
“When I’m gone,” Angela said,
“I hope the students who came out here remember this place—and bring their families back someday.”
Many of the stories tied to Antioch Life Park connect directly to Ruthe Jackson, the matriarch of Grand Prairie history. Decades ago, she interviewed Angela’s grandmother, Iola Reed Smith, for her series It Happened in Grand Prairie.
In that 1986 recording, Ruthie and Iola talk about the early Black families who lived along The Line—the Reeds, the Jordans, the Watsons—and how they built schools and churches when they had nothing but determination and faith. Those oral histories, preserved on tape, are the foundation of everything Faces of Grand Prairie stands for today: community storytelling as preservation. Iola came back in June 1992 to talk to Ruthe about the upcoming Juneteeth celebration, and you can watch that interview here.
Carrying the Story Forward
When you visit the Grand Prairie Historical Organization and Museum on Main Street, you’ll see exhibits and archives that help connect these dots—the generations, the neighborhoods, and the unsung heroes. But places like Antioch remind us that some history still lives outside of walls and display cases.
So if you have a flag, bring it.
If you have time, come volunteer.
And if you have a story, tell it.
Because remembering isn’t just an act of history—it’s an act of love.
Grand Prairie Veteran’s Parade Saturday, November 8 Line up Starting at 8:00 AM, Parade starts at 10:00 AM
Cemetery Clean Up November 10 Starting at 9 am
Contact Dr. Angela Luckey-Vaughn at 469-644-8209 for more information on either event.
Click here to make a donation to Antioch Life Park Cemetery.
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