(Shady Oak Cemetery – above)
Smith Cemetery
Member’s comments:
Also known as Hawks Chapel Cemetery and Union Bower Cemetery, the Smith Cemetery is located in East Irving Texas at 101 Penn Street and is surrounded by several industrial businesses.
There are 166 documented interments dating from 9-year-old Amie Blanche Smith who died March 20, 1886, to Martha Ann Voirin Cober who died February 3, 2022, at age 87.
It appears that the cemetery is maintained, surrounded by a fence in good condition with a gate at the drive-in entrance. There were recent flowers on some graves and a bench toward the back/north end of the cemetery. One monument close to the entrance has toppled and the top portion of the three-part monument was laying on the ground. Otherwise, the other monuments were good condition.
Shady Oak Cemetery
Member’s comments:
Located in west Irving at 800 Compton Ave at the north west corner of Conflans and Compton. It has 160 burials with the oldest being Sarah Elizabeth ‘Sis’ Sullivan King who passed in 1904 about age 41.
The cemetery is fully fenced on three sides with wooden fencing and on the 4th side is a low cable fence which has the gated drive-in entrance. The grounds are maintained using a mowing service. The headstones are in good condition.
Tompkins Cemetery
Member’s comments:
Located on the South side of Hwy 183 at Valley View Lane in Irving, the Tompkins Family Cemetery was established in 1897. The cemetery is literally between Hwy 183 and the service road.
The cemetery has 28 burials, the oldest being Isaac Sylvester Tompkins who died at age 68 on January 12, 1897. The last burial was Thomas ‘Tommy’ Tompkins Jr. who passed May 18, 2004, at age 83.
It is a small cemetery surrounded by a chain link fence with a double wide gate.
The fence is in good shape, no trash and does appear that someone cares for it occasionally. There are no fallen or broken headstones. Some trees could use some trimming but might be overgrown on purpose for a bit of screening from the service road.
Harrington Cemetery
Member’s comments:
The Harrington-Woods Cemetery is located in the now vanished community of Estelle that was absorbed into the town of Irving, Texas in 1968. The cemetery is on Valley View Lane just south of Walnut Hill. An historical marker about the Estelle Community was placed on Valley View Lane by the city of Irving in 2018. A historical marker is also near the cemetery.
The Estelle community was established in 1903. The Harrington family donated land for a school, teachers house, masonic lodge, and cemetery. After the community became part of Irving most of the remaining land became part of DFW airport.
The cemetery can be accessed by a narrow drive to the right of the historical marker. There are 8 interments, and the cemetery is several hundred yards from Valley View Road. Because of damp conditions I did not attempt to drive off road to get close to the cemetery. Per photos in FindAGrave.com and Google maps the cemetery is not fenced, is not overgrown, headstones are in good condition and the grounds are maintained by the Irving ISD.
