Berry Cemetery
Site Brief:
Founded: 1880
Location: Ash Grove, MO
Additional name(s): Holy Resurrection Cemetery
Affiliate group(s):
Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum
History:
The Berry Cemetery, also known as Holy Resurrection Cemetery, is an historic African American burial ground; at least 73 individuals, mostly African Americans, have been interred in the cemetery since 1880. The cemetery is located near Ash Grove, a town in southwest Missouri, in the Ozarks region of the U.S. The Berry Cemetery is the oldest known operating burial ground established by and for African Americans, and under continuous African American ownership, in southwest Missouri and likely the entire Ozark region. William Berry and Caroline (Boone) Berry established the cemetery ca. 1880.
Over the last 25 years, Moses Berry has communicated the significance of the Berry Cemetery to diverse communities by developing interpretive materials and giving countless tours, presentations, and interviews. These efforts have reached local, regional, national, and international audiences including private visitors, school groups, university students, historical societies, cultural organizations, religious groups, historic preservation specialists, museum professionals, archaeologists, and public agencies, among others. He has also educated audiences about the cemetery through numerous interviews featured in newspapers (including the New York Times and Philadelphia Sun), television programs (including regional PBS programs and a National Geographic program), documentaries, and podcasts.
