New access to Shelton's Bear Creek Cemetery for former slaves in Irving

An isolated cemetery that includes former slaves now has new access for families of loved ones who wish to visit.

Shelton’s Bear Creek Cemetery is perched along the George Bush Turnpike in Irving. 

Development that surrounded and further isolated the burial ground turns out to be a link to reach it.

A wall separating the cemetery from a new housing development now has a door through which visitors can enter the cemetery.

For the first time Thursday, Anthony Bond, who’s looked after the place for the past 28 years, saw the new access to this hard-to-reach location.

“It’s very difficult to get here, but it’s easier now and that is a blessing from God,” he said.

The path includes a ramp up the curb from a new street in the adjacent neighborhood. 

The path was built through teamwork with Irving city officials and the housing developer.

“Everybody saw the significance of this property and what a gem it is for the community to have so we wanted to make sure that it was accessible for everybody,” Irving Parks Director Joe Moses said.

Among those buried in the cemetery are the descendants of former slaves who settled in the area that once was a plantation.

“You still have a lot of family relatives that are here, that have ties to this cemetery, that can trace their ancestry back to this cemetery.  As an African American, to be able to do something like that, that’s amazing because a lot of us, we can’t trace our history,” Moses said.

Thursday, Anthony Bond received a document from Irving city officials showing a dedicated easement to the cemetery from the new street which the city helped secure.

It’s something Bond said he has been seeking for years.

“Anybody that’s got loved ones buried under the ground in a cemetery wants to able to visit their loved ones and have them rest in peace,” he said.

And now, visiting Shelton’s Bear Creek Cemetery in Irving is easier.

The City of Irving helped pay for the pathway but donations and volunteers are still needed to maintain the cemetery.

The pathway also makes it easier for volunteers to help.