The Irby Cemetery has received designation as an Historic Texas Cemetery. The cemetery is now recorded in the deed records of Parker County making it discoverable by anyone who might try to develop the property. Even though PD Waters and his wife Lizzie gave the land to “the Balch Community” in 1900, due to the age of the deed, the Parker County Appraisal District did not have the cemetery listed in their records. And, since “the Balch Community” no longer exists, the fact that the land was dedicated for a cemetery would not readily be recognized as set aside by a developer today.
There are at least 153 cemeteries in Parker County, most of which do not have designation protection. Doing the research to obtain a designation provides a wonderful tutorial into the history of Parker County. See the Texas Historical Commission website here to learn more about completing and filing an application.
