Swisher Cemetery reflects the earliest years of Anglo settlement in this part of north central Texas. It began on land granted to H. H. Swisher for his service in the Texas War for Independence from Mexico. The oldest burial is that of Francis Long in 1867. After H. H. Swisher's son, Capt. A. P. Swisher, inherited the property, he formally donated part of his land for use as a cemetery by families of the community then known as the French Settlement. His wife, Virginia, died in 1899 and was the first member of the family buried in the Swisher plot. After the railroad came through the area, the community's name changed to Garza in 1881 and then to Lake Dallas in 1926 when a dam on the Elm Fork of the Trinity created the lake of the same name. Over time, the cemetery expanded to serve residents of many neighboring lake communities. It contains more than 1,100 graves, including those of numerous veterans who served in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf. Additional land was purchased over the years, and the cemetery was cared for first by Garza community residents, then by the Lake Dallas Birthday Club from 1948 until 1998, and is now maintained by the Swisher Cemetery Association.