OLD CANAAN FREEDOM COLONY CEMETERY

FOUNDED: Pre-1865

ADDITONAL NAMES: Canaan Missionary Baptist Church

AFFILIATION(S):

• Canaan Baptist Church Cemetery Association

HISTORY:

The Old Canaan cemetery site was one of the original burial sites for the Texas Freedom Colony established immediately after slavery ended in 1865. The cemetery along with a church and school were established in 1870 and included a thriving, self-sufficient farming and ranching community.

In about 1935 nightriders, also known as Klansmen, burned the Canaan-Rosenwald Elementary School and threatened to burn the Canaan Church down if they would not move. Due to these threats and pressure, the church and school were relocated about a half mile south of the original location.

The cemetery is now on private property, and we have been working for several years to reclaim the site.

BCN Contact Information:

Earnol Brewster

ebrewster1906@gmail.com

FRATERNAL MEMORIAL PARK

FOUNDED: 1928

ADDITONAL NAMES: Grasselli, Memorial Park, Fraternal Park, and Mount Zion

AFFILIATION(S):

• Historic Clarksburg WV Cemetery Preservation Alliance

HISTORY:

Although little information on the cemetery is available it is known that it was utilized for predominately African Americans and burials began in 1928 and continued through to the last known burial in 1978. Other information obtained concerning the cemetery consists of World War I and World War II War veterans buried in the Cemetery Upon investigation of the Cemetery Headstones and additional research from the WV death indexes database (West Virginia Department of Arts, Vital Research Records Search Selection, 2018), HRC identified a total of seven men that are World War I veterans that are buried within The Fraternal

Memorial Cemetery. HRC identified one man that may be a World War II veteran and we have identified his draft card. In addition, his death certificate was checked in the veteran box, but the war was not named. An additional four men were found to have draft registration cards from fold3 (Ancestry, 2018) military database and The National Archives online database (Administration, n.d.). The four individuals with draft cards could not be definitively concluded that they went to War.

BCN Contact Information:

Shaun Jedju

ShaunMJedju@hcwvcpa.org

www.hcwvcpa.org

ESSIE J HANDY MEMORIAL CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1949

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

Elisha and Essie Handy came to La Fayette in 1925. They were educators and active in civic and religious activities. In 1940 their oldest son, Ralph, died from tuberculosis and was buried in the only cemetery in La Fayette for African-Americans at the time. Mrs. Handy went throughout the community asking for contributions to purchase land from Judge Grady for a new African-American cemetery. In 1949 she had her son's body exhumed and transferred to the new community cemetery bearing her name. Mrs. Handy led a prolific life. In 1945 she became the first African-American to vote in Chambers County and she was recognized as a Civil Rights leader in the area. Mrs. Handy met with President Lyndon B. Johnson and was invited to his Inauguration in 1965. Mrs. Handy privately operated the cemetery until her death in 1977. Subsequently, the cemetery was deeded to the City of Lafayette who recognized Mrs. Handy for her achievements and impact on the community. Listed in the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register on October 17, 2018

BCN Contact Information:

Albert Handy

aehandy@gmail.com

ZION HILL CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1868

ADDITONAL NAMES: Zion Hill Colored Baptist Cemetery

AFFILIATION(S):

• Preserve & Serve Georgia Inc

HISTORY:

Zion Hill Cemetery, a historic African American Baptist Burial Site, was established in 1868 as a “colored cemetery” for the Zion Hill Colored Baptist Church in Monroe, Georgia shortly after the Civil War. Land was purchased by former enslaved man Cyrus Briscoe from his former enslaver, Waters Briscoe. Cyrus sold a portion of the land to church trustees. Church records indicate in 1868, a log cabin was built for use as the “Colored People Church.” In 1870, a wooden structure was built next to the log cabin. The church changed its name to Zion Hill Colored Baptist Church. After a few months, about 20 church members pulled away and formed the Tabernacle Baptist Church. In 1949, Zion Hill Church reunited with the Tabernacle Baptist Church under the name, First African Baptist Church. The church divided in 1953, and the First African Baptist Church and Tabernacle Baptist Church moved to new locations, abandoning the Zion Hill Cemetery site and leaving it vulnerable.

BCN Contact Information:

Elizabeth Jones

preserveandservegeorgiainc@gmail.com

https://www.zionhillcemetery.com

RUBY FAMILY CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1828

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S):

• Durham Historical Society

• Durham Historic District Committee

HISTORY:

The Ruby Family Cemetery, established in 1828, is located in Durham, Maine. It is the family cemetery of Samuel Ruby and his family, the first African American family to live in Durham, Maine.

In the 1800's, Durham was one of the few Maine towns to have a black preacher. Reverend Samuel Ruby and his family lived on the edge of town. Samuel was the brother of Portland's famous stagecoach driver and abolitionist Reuben Ruby (founding member of the Abyssinian Meeting House).

BCN Contact Information:

Emily Alexander

brown.bag.seminars@gmail.com

https://www.durhamhistoricalsociety.com/

ST. LLOYD PRESBYTERIAN CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1867

ADDITONAL NAMES: Cemetery #1 and Cemetery #2

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

In October 1867, a group of African-American members of Sharon Presbyterian Church, in what was then known as Sharon Township in Charlotte, NC, appeared before the Church Elders. According to minutes of that Session, these members requested "advice and aid in building a house of worship for the colored people." Though the names of the petitioners and the church they wished to establish are not in the church's minutes, it is believed that these African-American members were the subsequent founders of St. Lloyd Presbyterian Church.

The church moved to a new location in Grier Heights after the SouthPark land was sold to Sarah and Cameron Morrison, who had been governor of North Carolina, around 1926. At this time the five trustees were James Rodman, Hall Price, Thomas Knox, Walter Davis and Frank Price for Lloyd Presbyterian Church. A second church and cemetery was formed on 2 acres plus from E.W Wallace and Katie C. Wallace when it was possible for blacks to own land at the Grier Heights location. The Wallace's were members of the Colony Road church who had become landowners in Mecklenburg County.  Over time, as church members merged with other local congregations, the church building at cemetery #2 was removed in the mid-1970th. 

Today what remains of the church are these two cemeteries: one in SouthPark and one in Grier Heights. The foundation, representing Grier Heights and SouthPark residents, will ensure the long-term care and preservation of these historic sites, continuing the legacy for future generations.

BCN Contact Information:

St. Lloyd Presbyterian Cemetery Foundation, Inc.

Wayne Johnson

wayne@waynejohnsonproperties.com

HOPEWELL CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1891, but likely before

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

Hopewell Cemetery is an abandoned African-American cemetery located on a wooded and eroding land tract that also includes the likely site of the first Anglo-American trading post and steamboat port used by early settlers, native Caddo Indians, and free and enslaved African-Americans. Multiple land owners own the land, and the City of Shreveport has directed storm water runoff to empty in the wooded area. Several graves are broken, open, and not documented, and very difficult to survey/document due to the elevation and vegetation. There have many several parties interested in cleaning it up, and we've trimmed sections of it up here and there, but it needs a lot of support to truly restore the cemetery / potentially relocate some graves to higher ground. Dr. Gary Joiner at LSU-Shreveport believes there are likely earlier graves there and many more than have been documented thus far. There are two WWI veterans buried there and several members of one or two families who were instrumental in the Stoner Hill neighborhood of Shreveport.

BCN Contact Information:

Friends of the Coates Bluff Nature Trail

info@coatesbluff.org

coatesbluff.org

GOD’S ACRE CEMETERY

FOUNDED: Sometime prior to 1867

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

BCN Contact Information:

Friends of Robert Lewis

1892RobertLewis@gmail.com

Crystal Memorial Gardens Cemetery

FOUNDED: 1880s

ADDITONAL NAMES: Crystal River African-American Memorial Gardens

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

Crystal Memorial Gardens is a historic cemetery and was formerly known as Crystal River African American Memorial Gardens. Crystal Memorial Gardens cemetery was originally belonged to Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, which was founded on October 4, 1884. Mt. Olive MBC is the oldest black church and the second oldest church in Citrus County, Florida.

Mt. Olive Missionary MBC deeded the Crystal Memorial Gardens Cemetery to the "Community" in 1976.  A community-based Board of Directors was created to operate the cemetery that is still in place today.

BCN Contact Information:

Andrea K. McCray

friendsofcmgcemetery@gmail.com

friendsofcmgcemetery.com

LANDON ROAD CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1904

ADDITONAL NAMES: Landon Colored Cemetery

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

Landon Road Cemetery is located on the Bernard Bayou in the Side Camp Community. Records indicate the burial ground was established in the late 1800s with the last confirmed burial being 1967. The cemetery is the final resting place of many African Americans who lived in the unincorporated northwest area of Harrison County.

Many of those interred at Landon Road Cemetery laid the foundation of what the Mississippi Gulf Coast is today. They worked in the lumber, shipping, and railroad industries. The cemetery itself is situated on property which was once owned by the Gulf & Ship Island Railroad and used as a turpentine still where multiple employees labored through extremely harsh working conditions and often died while doing so. Many of these workers and their families purchased plots and were buried at Landon Road Cemetery.

Today, the cemetery is hidden from public view. It lies deep within a wooded area on private property. The landowner is not willing to allow family members to visit or to clear a path to the cemetery for restoration purposes. As a result, the cemetery is in danger of being lost forever. Research shows there are approximately 100 known graves in the cemetery with at least 5 veteran headstones present.

BCN Contact Information:

Mariam May-Clayton

savingmscemeteries@gmail.com

MAPLE GROVE CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1901

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

On June 19, 1901, Articles of Incorporation for the Richmond Colored Cemetery Company were signed and filed with the Madison County Court. Four African American men, Private Grandson Boggs, BP Langford, Thomas H. Broaddus and John L. Francis filed the document to be effective July 1st, 1901 for the purpose of conducting business as a cemetery for 50 years on the site.

Maple Grove Cemetery is the largest African American cemetery in Richmond and is located at the corner of East Main and Spring Streets. Additional land was added in 1910 and also several years later.

There are over 1700 grave stones and many unidentified gravesites within the cemetery. There are over 250 Military members interred in the cemetery (Buffalo Soldiers – Spanish American War, United States Colored Troops, US Navy – Messmen, Seaman and Reservist, US Army Air Corp/US Army - Tuskegee Airmen and support staff, U S Army Reservist, Marines, U S Coast Guard member and 2 female military members).

We know that this land was used as a burial place many years earlier than 1901 because the earliest stone is of Sarah Clay dated 1889.

The name of Maple Grove is also a mystery, this land has no formal document that contain that name. Richmond citizens have always referred to the cemetery as Maple Grove but the description does not refer to that name.

Many individuals and groups have maintained the cemetery over the many years. Much history has been uncovered about the people, places and occupations of the many individuals interred in the cemetery. The current caretaker – The Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery have placed historical markers at over 67 gravesites and researched their contributions to Richmond and Madison County.

The Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery, INC was established in October 2020 as a non-profit corporation, operates exclusively as a 501 (c)(3) to provide for perpetual care and maintenance of Maple Grove Cemetery. The Corporation is governed by 11 Board members and is solely supported by donations.

BCN Contact Information:

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FREEDOMLAND CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1854

ADDITONAL NAMES: Colored People's Burial Ground

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

This site sits in Floyds Knobs, IN which is on the Indiana side of the Louisville metro area. The location is not easy to get to. It's about half a mile hike, deep in the woods on a steep hill and flows into a valley. In the mid 1800's this area would have been considered "the country", of New Albany, IN and Louisville, KY. Many escaping slavery ended up right over the KY border in Southern, Indiana. This would have been one of the segregated cemeteries, in one of the first union cities to border a confederate state in Indiana.

This cemetery contains appx 300 souls, however, some believe there could be closer to 1,000. It's also speculated to possibly be the largest segregated cemetery in the state of Indiana. The site dates back to 1854 from a deed. However, I personally suspect the site to be much older due to the number of stone markers with no information engraved. There are only appx 6-10 headstones that are legible. Most of the sites are marked with a colorful piece of stone. And many are no longer marked at all.

BCN Contact Information:

Piper Robbins

piperrobbins@gmail.com

FISHING CREEK PLACE CEMETERY

FOUNDED: Unknown

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

Fishing Creek Place Cemetery was discovered in 2021 after lying undisturbed on private land in York County, South Carolina. Ground penetrating radar has established that there are 144 confirmed graves in this cemetery and numerous likely graves that were not 100% confirmed due to the ground shifting over time. Historical research has allowed us to determine that this cemetery was the enslaved cemetery of the Lowry Plantation which had enslaved individuals from the 1820s until emancipation at which time over 150 enslaved were freed. Local decedents of these individuals have also been found and work in this regard is ongoing. The family that currently owns this property has cleared the cemetery of underbrush, placed markers on each identified graves to prevent future loss, and is in the process of building a fence and gates to delineate this site from the surrounding area.

BCN Contact Information:

Andrew Lazenby

joemess2@gmail.com

HUTCHINSON FAMILY & COMMUNITY CEMETERY

FOUNDED: dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries

ADDITONAL NAMES: Botany Bay Plantation & Wildlife Preserve

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

On June 13, 2023, a group of historical professionals, direct descendants, and concerned members of the Edisto Island community discovered an African American cemetery on Botany Bay Plantation and Wildlife Reserve. This cemetery dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries (before slavery ended). Our historic cemeteries serve as a final stop for our loved ones as well as a window into the past. They not only represent the last resting place of our black ancestors, but they are also actual artifacts of American History.

For those who have studied history, we know that Black people didn’t start being buried in church cemeteries until after the Civil War. So, the question is where are the remains of our beloved ancestors that lived before the Civil War? Historical records from the 1850’s indicate that Edisto Island had 62 operating plantations on an island that is 12-mile long and 8-mile. 62 plantations. It is widely known that enslaved people were almost exclusively buried where they lived or worked at the time. It is our earnest belief that this recent discovery of 16 graves is only the beginning of what lies beneath the surface. We now know that beyond a shadow of a doubt that our people are there waiting to be found.

So why do we care? We care because most of these sites are in real danger of being lost, be it from development, neglect, or simply the loss of community knowledge regarding their locations. We now need to look at the importance of preserving these sacred spaces as well as steps we can take to save them. These graveyards, burial grounds, and cemeteries not only honor our ancestors; they're also an important resource for historians and genealogists who want to tell our history. However, these burial sites are often forgotten or ignored. The protection of these burial grounds is critical to ensuring a more complete, comprehensive understanding of history on Edisto Island, South Carolina. This African American cemetery and others yet to be discovered hold the untold stories of thousands of Blacks who lived and died on Edisto Island and the integral role they played in its very complicated history.

BCN Contact Information:

Greg Estevez

greg_estevez@hotmail.com

ROSEWOOD CEMETERY

FOUNDED: dates to late 1800s or early 1900s

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

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BCN Contact Information:

Edward Gonzalez-Tennant

edward.gonzaleztennant@utrgv.edu

CEDAR KEY CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1888, but its graves date back to 1872

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

The Cedar Key Cemetery project scope of work was contracted by Digital Heritage Interactive LLC. The results of this project includes an interactive map based on the field mapping of approximately 1,250 marked burials and other cemetery furniture (e.g., walls, benches) in the Cedar Key Cemetery. This interactive map and the GIS that informs it also includes the results of a GPR survey to identify subsurface anomalies. This project provides new historical information through a complete inventory of all marked burials (as of June 2022) as well as GPR survey of 18 grids containing approximately 90 unmarked burials.

BCN Contact Information:

Edward Gonzalez-Tennant

edward.gonzaleztennant@utrgv.edu

ANGEL VISIT BAPTIST CHURCH CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1867

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

Angel Visit Baptist Church Cemetery has been a burial place for African Americans since the 19th century. Whereas we do not know the date of the first burial, the church purchased its first parcel of land in 1867 and we believe that the cemetery was started soon thereafter.

BCN Contact Information:

Bessida Cauthorne White

angelvisitbaptistchurch@gmail.com

GREEN HILL HISTORIC AFRICAN AMERICAN CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1872

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

In September, 2017, a group of Martinsburg, West Virginia residents formed a committee to look into the possibility of restoring the long abandoned Green Hill African American Cemetery. This .6 acre site is adjacent to Green Hill Cemetery, referred to as the "White Cemetery" as African Americans were not permitted to be buried there. Over the years, our site had been used as dumping area for their landscaping debris and it was generally used as a community dumping ground, with trash and discarded appliances. It was completely overgrown. In December of that year, a small group of volunteers met at the site to start work. Some 300 trees were cut down together with stumps that have been pulled and hauled away. On November 21, 2020, a dedication was held to acknowledge those buried there.

Since that time, volunteers have continued to maintain the landscaping, add improvements. Benches have been added, a stone cross has been placed on the site, a sign has been erected and the group has been established as a 501c(3) organization. Thanks to fund raising and local grants, a survey was done and determined that this plot of land did not convey to the Green Cemetery when the land was originally purchased for their cemetery in 1854. The surveyors uncovered a record from 1872 where a group of African Americans purchased the plot for $100 and became the original trustees. Our group retained a lawyer and it was discovered through a state statute that if we were able to find five descendants of an individual buried in the cemetery, we could petition the court to name new trustees. This was successfully done and we now have six trustees to oversee the continuing establishment of our cemetery. We are aware there are two lynching victims in the cemetery and it was the descendants of one of them, Joe Burns, which allowed this to be accomplished. We are continuing to make improvements, including having ground penetrating radar done, which located 225 graves, 20 of infants and children. We have raised funds to erect a fence between the two cemeteries.

BCN Contact Information:

Nancy Oudekerk

nmyster@comcast.net

Green Hill Historic African-American Cemetery | Martinsburg WV | Facebook

FORREST CITY COLORED CEMETERY

FOUNDED: Unknown

ADDITONAL NAMES: Purifoy Cemetery

AFFILIATION(S):

• St. Francis County Historical Society

HISTORY:

The Forrest City Colored Cemetery is a long forgotten African American Cemetery were several prominent black leaders and politicians are laid to rest. For example, JH Blount (the first Black Governale candidate), Wallace Purifoy (Black and Tan party), and Dr. RA Williams (founder of Supreme Royal Circle of Friends of the World). This cemetery has been forgotten. As well as the significant historical beacons buried here.

BCN Contact Information:

Angela Wilburn

wilburna2015@gmail.com

STARKVILLE COLORED CEMETERY

FOUNDED: unknown

ADDITONAL NAMES: Brush Arbor

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

The Brush Arbor, or Starkville Colored Cemetery, is an over 200-year-old, historically Black cemetery stationed central to residential life in Starkville Mississippi. It is among the oldest cemeteries in Starkville and has likely existed as a public graveyard since Starkville’s founding. Many notable names reside within the cemetery such as one of Oktibbeha county’s legislators, Ben Chiles, a World War II vet, and other African Americans instrumental in the development of Starkville. Despite being here since Starkville’s conception, the Brush Arbor/Starkville Colored Cemetery remains widely unrecognized.

Dr. Jordan Lynton-Cox of Mississippi State University is head of the Brush Arbor/Starkville Colored Cemetery Community-Engaged Field Program, a three-year project dedicated to historic preservation and restoration of the cemetery through decolonial methods. For information, email brusharbor@anthro.msstate.edu.

BCN Contact Information:

Dr. Jordan Lynton-Cox

jlynton@anthro.msstate.edu