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Arlington’s Lost Cemetery of Infants – A Surprisingly Cheery Tale

Lost Cemetery of Infants is in Paranormal Texas

[The following is an adapted excerpt from my book, Paranormal Texas – a travel guide to haunted places in North Texas that you can actually visit. I hope you enjoy it! Also, full disclosure: that’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy stuff after clicking it, I make a few pennies at no additional cost to you.]

More photos here

To see a 5-minute info-video I made to accompany this story (with even more photos) click below:

While single mothers are common in today’s world, and it’s often an intentional life choice, back in 1894, single mothers were shunned by society and had few options. And it wasn’t just unwed mothers; the world of 1894 didn’t include many choices for girls who were runaways, addicts, widows, or in other unfortunate situations. Many otherwise charitable institutions, including churches, routinely turned their backs on women facing hard times.

Forward Thinking for 1894

So when Reverend James Tony Upchurch created the Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls, it was a daring move for 1894. His idea that these women could be taught a viable trade and reintegrated as independent members of society was edgy and controversial by the standards of his day.

Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

3 Simple Rules

There were only three rules at the Berachah Industrial Home. First off, you must never talk about the Berachah … Wait, no, that’s something else! Seriously, though, the first two rules were that each woman must do her chores and attend church each Sunday. The third rule required each unwed mother to care for her newborn for one full year before being allowed to give the child up for adoption.

Employable Skills for Women

For work, the women were taught a variety of employable skills for that era such as becoming a laundress, making handkerchiefs, typesetting, and printing. For the latter, the home published its own magazine called the Purity Journal. (I would love to read a copy of that, wouldn’t you?)

Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Spread Over 40 Acres

Over the years, the Berachah Institute spread over 40 acres and became a self-sustaining village. They even had a 1000-seat auditorium for meetings, plays, and concerts. In 1935, Reverend Upchurch’s daughter took the reigns and turned the place into an orphanage. Things went downhill, however, after his death in 1950, and by the late 60’s all the buildings were torn down, the land parceled up, and sold off.

Lost Cemetery of Infants

Today, all that remains of the Rev. Upchurch’s life’s work is a well-hidden graveyard. While it’s come to be known as the “lost cemetery of infants,” there’s no indication that anything nefarious occurred. Considering that it was a home for unwed mothers, there were bound to be some still births and other complications.

Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

First Names or Numbers Only

Most of the grave markers are flat stones rather than standing markers, so they are easy to miss. For the babies too young to have been named, the markers bear only a number, such as “Infant 46.” Other markers simply display a first name. Omitting the last name was a courtesy meant to protect the unwed mother’s anonymity.

Surprisingly Uplifting Story

As I researched this story, I kept waiting for it to turn sinister, to find out that Rev. Upchurch was abusive, or sold the children into slavery or some other awful thing. Instead I came away with an admiration for his lifelong dedication to empowering those who society had turned its back on. (In fact, this is one of those intriguing Texas tales that makes me want to write historical fiction!)

Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Is Arlington’s Lost Cemetery of Infants Haunted?

Reported activity at this site includes shadowy figures seen darting between the trees, the sensation of being watched, the sounds of children’s voices, and small toys appearing (and disappearing) on graves. Some paranormal investigators have even reported feeling as if their hair was being stroked by invisible hands.

If you are interested in ghost hunting, this would be a good place to bring small toys as trigger items for EVP’s and other paranormal activity. If you do, let me know!

Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Lost Cemetery of Infants in Arlington, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Plan your trip to Lost Cemetery of Infants

Address:
Lost Cemetery of Infants
Doug Russell Park
801 West Mitchell St.
Arlington, TX 76013

Please note: The cemetery is located in the northwest corner of Doug Russell Park. It has a chainlink fence around it, but the entry gate is unlocked. Like so many things in life, if you don’t know it’s there, it’s easy to overlook. If you’re looking for it, however, it is easy to find.

WANT TO READ THE REST OF THE BOOK? This post is an adapted excerpt from my travel guide to haunted places, a book called Paranormal Texas. To see a 5-minute info-video I made to accompany this story (with photos of Rev. Upchurch and his wife) click here: Secret Texas History: Lost Cemetery Video

Check out my book: Understanding Cemetery Symbols

If you enjoy exploring historic graveyards, you might also enjoy reading my book: Understanding Cemetery Symbols.

Leave a comment:

If you enjoyed this story, leave a comment below! I look forward to hearing from you!

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Do you have questions about headstone symbols? Drop by my YouTube channel and let me take you one some virtual cemetery tours!

READ MY BOOK: If you enjoy historic cemeteries and want to learn more, check out my book: Understanding Cemetery Symbols. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form.

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Published inBlog PostsCemeteries & SymbolismHistoric Cemeteries

15 Comments

  1. Wendy Godwin Wendy Godwin

    No, the marker isn’t all that’s left of Rev. Upchurch’s work. My mother was born there .
    She married and had 11 children. We are just a fraction of what’s left. A bountiful crop.

    • Hi, Wendy! Wow! That’s great to hear. How wonderful that your mom was born there. Did she share many stories about her time there? What skills did they teach her? Thanks for visiting. :)

  2. I hope you will write a historical fiction book about this place someday. I’d love to read it!

    It’s really nice to hear that Reverend Upchurch not only stood up for people who were shunned by his society but appeared to have treated them with kindness. I was a bit worried in the beginning that this would not be so.

    I wonder how many lives he saved altogether? I also wonder if the descendants of any of these single mom know about this place?

    • Hehe! Funny you should say that, because I pitched the idea to an editor and screenwriter at a writing conference recently and they loved it. But then… I found out that a book recently came out about this place. The author says she was inspired after reading a blog post that the City of Arlington linked to on their list of haunted places. I rather suspect she was referring to this article – lol! Because I get a lot of traffic to this post from just such a link… Oh, well! (I have ANOTHER idea for some historical fiction, but I’ll keep it to myself this time.) Thanks again for dropping by and commenting! :)

  3. T T

    The toys are easy to explain lol years ago my friend , our 2 children a nd myself stumbled across this cemetery by accident. It looked abandoned so we returned the next next day with toys and cleaning supplies in tow and for the next few weeks we scrubbed head stones and pulled weeds….. as for the rest of the strange things ….i can’t explain other than maybe the wind blowing. I believe in paranormal activity but I felt nothing while at this cemetery except for sadness.

    • Jerry Oliver Jerry Oliver

      What are the coordinates for the cemetery, as a history buff, I’d love to see abd photograph it. Was looking at Google maps satellite and not seeing it.

      • Hi Jerry, Were you able to find the cemetery? I don’t know its exact GPS coordinates. The way I found it was to visit Doug Russel Park and head towards the northwest corner. The cemetery has a chainlink fence around it, so look for that! Hope this helps! ~Tui

  4. Charlotte Charlotte

    I would love to know more

    • Tui Snider Tui Snider

      Me too, Charlotte! I’m still researching the topic. :D

      • John Goode John Goode

        Hi Tui Snider! How are you doing? My friends and I are doing our own ghost hunting team. And we are going to the Lost Cemetery of Infants on this Friday night.

        • Tui Snider Tui Snider

          Hey, that’s great, John! Let me know how it goes for you. Thanks for dropping by! :D ~Tui

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