About Frankford

Frankford Preservation Foundation maintains and protects a historic five acre nature preserve in the midst of the city of Dallas. The site features a rare remnant of the Blackland Prairie once indigenous to the Dallas area, the historic late 19th century, Prairie Gothic style Frankford Church and Indian Springs, a source of pure water for travelers on the Shawnee Trail.

The Frankford site is very much like it was more than 100 years ago, which is remarkable considering its location in the midst of a thriving modern metropolis. Sites of this type are rare in Dallas and we know we have a unique opportunity to teach North Texas history and the importance of prairie land conservation. The Frankford Preservation Foundation is committed to preserving this piece of original prairie and the Historic Frankford Church for future generations.

The Frankford Preservation Foundation conducts charitable, educational, and cultural events including seasonal tours of its native prairie meadows to foster an awareness of the significance of the Blackland Prairie and early North Texas history. Frankford Preservation Foundation supports and manages the Frankford Blackland Prairie, Historic Frankford Church, and Indian Springs.

Visit our sister organization at Frankford Cemetery.

Discovery of Frankford Prairie

On a blisteringly hot day in August 2009, landscape architect Rosa Finsley came to the Frankford site to talk about creating a native landscape around the old Frankford Church. During her initial visit Rosa observed some rare native plants in the recently mowed fields between the church and cemetery. Intrigued, she continued to study the fields during the nine-month church restoration. To listen to the audio version of the text below press play. In late May 2010 Rosa approached me about discontinuing the mowing of parts of our fields “just to see what might come up.” We selected a portion