Forest Lawn Memorial Park, also known as Mount Pleasant Memorial Park, is a perpetual care cemetery located on the north side of U.S. Highway 67 at its intersection with County Road 1032 two miles west of Mt. Pleasant and adjacent to the Texas Utilities mine site.
R. W. "Rudy" Ledeen established Forest Lawn Memorial Park as Titus County's first commercial cemetery and largest perpetual care cemetery. Opposite ends of County Road 1032 create two entrances to Forest Lawn Memorial Park from Highway 67. A sign inscribed "Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Perpetual Care Cemetery" is located in the center of the east entrance. The sign was constructed from brass and granite and rests on a brick base with columns that are flanked by shrubbery.
Several large public monuments, evergreen tree-lined drives, shrubbery, and other landscaping were added inside the cemetery to create a beautiful and serene park. A large open book resting on a natural stone base flanked by trees was built toward the east end of the rear section. The book is inscribed with the Lord's Prayer. At the cemetery's west end, a large mural of Jesus standing with a flock of sheep beside a stream is likewise supported by a natural stone base. The concrete border surrounding the mural is inscribed “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He leadeth me beside the still waters.”
Large, curved, white cinder-block walls mark opposite sides of the west entrance. A statue of Christ engraved “Come unto me all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest - Matt. 11:28” stands inside the cemetery near the west entrance. White brick walls flanking the statue have shifted through time and are leaning. Trees have been allowed to grow over the statue's head.
All graves and markers (with the exception of flower vases built on the marker) must be ground level. We only saw one exception to this rule. That is the Connie and Lucile Doss white marble crypt located beside the entrance road at the extreme east end of the park.
The law requires that a portion of each lot's sale price be placed into an investment trust fund. Trust fund principal can never be spent, and income it generates must be used to provide perpetual cemetery care and maintenance. In spite of this, the cemetery appeared somewhat neglected when photographed in January, 2006. County Road 1032, which only provides access through the cemetery, needs resurfacing. Little cemetery maintenance other than mowing was apparent.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM THE TITUS COUNTY COURTHOUSE:
Travel 0.2 miles west on West First Street 0.5 mile to the intersection of Ferguson Road (U.S. Highway 271). Veer right and enter Ferguson Road, continue west 1.3 miles to the intersection of U.S. Highway 67. Turn left onto U.S. 67 and drive 2 miles. Forest Lawn Memorial Park is on the right (north) side of U.S. 67 at the intersection of County Road 1032.
