Pioneers Rest Cemetery
historic place
Pioneers Rest Cemetery, a historic place in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, began as a burial ground in 1850. It is the oldest public cemetery in Fort Worth. Early interments included Sophie and Willis Arnold, children of Major Ripley A. Arnold, Fort Worth's commander, and eleven soldiers from the fort. The cemetery initially covered three acres and expanded by three more acres in 1871. Major Ripley A. Arnold, considered Fort Worth's founder, is buried here. General Edward H. Tarrant, for whom Tarrant County is named, also rests here; his remains were moved in 1928. The cemetery contains the graves of 75 Civil War veterans. Formally named "Pioneers Rest" in 1909, it received a historical marker in 1979 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. This cemetery preserves the burial records of many individuals who shaped Fort Worth's early history.