Written by Jason S. Sullivan

Tate Cemetery

This post is part of my ‘Historical Markers and Plaques’ series.

Field Notes

  • Marker: Tate Cemetery – Texas Historical Marker
  • Location: 4200 W. Pleasant Ridge Road – Arlington, Texas 76016
  • Notes: Cemetery sits atop a hill and can difficult to see from the road. If traffic conditions allow, consider backing into the cemetery’s driveway, as it will easier to exit. Cemetery is small, generally well-kept, and surrounded by a chain-link fence. It has a gate, but usually isn’t locked. Historical marker is located inside the cemetery to the right, near the grave of Evan Calloway Tate.

Tate Cemetery

Tate Springs was a small, rural community established in the 1870s by Evan Calloway Tate (1832-1885). The pioneer Tates came to Texas from Georgia, with other families traveling with them. The community formed a church and school by the early 1880s.

Although Tate died in 1885, his heirs later deeded the land where he was buried to be used as a cemetery. Other family members were buried there along with members of the Tate Springs community. There are about 60-70 burials in the cemetery, possibly more, as some of the graves are believed to be unmarked. Most burials took place in the 1900s, however, the cemetery was used as recently as 2022. The oldest birth year on a marked graved is 1825 for Mary Sorrels. Most of the graves are from the Bryant, Dunkin, Ferguson, Sorrels, Tate, and Williams families.

Even though Tate Springs is now part of Arlington, the community’s name lives on with the cemetery, the nearby Tate Springs Baptist Church (which also has a Texas Historical Marker), and Tate Springs Road.

Tate Cemetery – Texas Historical Marker

Marker text

“Evan Calloway Tate (1832-1885) brought his family to this area from Georgia in 1870, establishing the Tate Springs community. Land for this cemetery was deeded to the community by Tate heirs in 1894. At that time there were four marked burials, those of E. C. Tate and three of his children. Other members of the Tate family and the Tate Springs community were later interred here. Many of the graves are unmarked. Care of the cemetery was entrusted in later years to family members of those buried here. A fence and entry arch were erected in 1965.”

Blog post by Jason S. Sullivan, 11-10-25

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