Re: [GEN-AFRICAN] African American heritage cemeteries

0
Dear Michael,


In your writing about AA cemeteries, please talk about the destruction of A=
A cemeteries for profit gain. Reference the messed up situation of Burr Oak=
Cemetery here in Chicago. A real downright dirty shame and mess.
Now the cemetery in Baltimore that my 3 great grandfather Pvt Henry Dent, 1=
9th regiment, Company K, USCT, southern Maryland, was buried in was also a =
cemetery that was destroyed. Laurel Cemetery was covered over with a PePBoy=
s store. =

Saundra Oliver Brown, email@anonym
0
Here are some comments and facts about it.


0
Laurel Cemetery - Historically African-American MD
The below news article appeared in the Baltimore Sun on January 4, 2001. So=
me of you may be interested in the current preservation attempt that is cur=
rently underway at Laurel. Laurel is a historically African-American cemete=
ry originally created in 1852 on Baltimore's eastside. This site was initia=
lly used to bury Black servants and slaves; these burials pre-date 1852. It=
is estimated that nearly 10,000 persons of African-American decent were bu=
ried there. Veterans of the Civil War (Union) were buried at Laurel; an est=
imated 230 =



Black Civil War Veterans - -- tey were subsequently re-interred at Loudon =
Cemetery (on Frederick Road). The original cemeteries for Sharp Street Chur=
ch and Bethel AME were re-interred at Laurel (Sharp Street Church has anoth=
er cemetery just outside of the City today). There is currently an active p=
roject underway to determine who was buried at Laurel. Through time, neglec=
t and political manipulation the land was chipped away to make way for hous=
ing and other development projects. Ultimately the cemetery was relocated t=
o Johnville, Carroll County, Maryland in 1978. Since that time the cemetery=
has fallen into disrepair. George Murphy wants to clean it up (see article=
below). Should anyone have relatives buried at Laurel Cemetery or believe =
they have relatives buried at Laurel Cemetery, your help may be needed with=
this preservation project. Please email me directly. Celeste Heritage2@aol=
.com =



Respect for eternal rest Graves: =



George Murphy wants to return dignity to a forgotten cemetery in Carroll Co=
unty. By Mary Gail Hare Sun Staff =

Originally published Jan 4 2001> > George Murphy can stand amid broken, mos=
s-covered tombstones in a forgotten cemetery and see history, art and a mys=
tery he can solve. Cemetery restoration has become a passion for Murphy, a =
teaching assistant at Liberty High School, environmental activist and somet=
ime political candidate. The 52-year-old Eldersburg resident is about to ta=
ke on Laurel Cemetery, a 3-acre graveyard in southern Carroll County with a=
s many as 400 markers in disrepair. "Laurel is a Victorian garden trapped i=
nside a forest," he said. "I want to remove the forest and show the stones.=
" To clear this forest, Murphy will need chain saws, clippers, a dump truck=
, a backhoe and countless volunteers. He has enlisted Boy Scouts and severa=
l Liberty High students. "We have taken a look at the disarray and decided =
it would be a great idea to clean it up," said Jim Anastastion Jr., leader =
of Boy Scout Troop 110, whose dozen members are on board with the
project. "This is important because it is in our community. Maybe descenda=
nts of these families will visit." In 1958, to pave the way for a shopping =
center near Belair Road and Edison Highway in Baltimore, the remains of abo=
ut 300 African-Americans were removed from Laurel Cemetery, once one of the=
city's largest and oldest graveyards. "Laurel Cemetery was at one time con=
sidered the most elegant and the largest cemetery in Baltimore," Murphy sai=
d. "It is a gem as far as monuments go." The remains were reinterred in wha=
t was then a cornfield in the historically black community of Johnsville, n=
orth of Eldersburg. Two 16-foot stone pillars marked the entrance and the g=
raves were placed in rows off a central pathway. Within a few years, the ne=
w cemetery, also called Laurel, was all but forgotten. Saving the cemetery =
is a daunting task, Murphy acknowledges. Every stone will have to be lifted=
- some with a crane - so that the bases can be replaced. Most
monuments have settled and then toppled over. Some have sunk more than two=
feet into the ground. Smaller ones may have sunk completely beneath the su=
rface. "The contractor =

hired when the graves were moved here probably could have done a better job=
, or so many of these stones would not by lying on the ground," Murphy said=
. "I doubt there are real bases under the ground, or they would not be so f=
lat." Murphy calls Laurel "a real jigsaw puzzle, with several hundred stone=
s of every different size and shape." "There are at least 16 rows of graves=
on each side of a central pathway and they look to be in a straight line,"=
he said. "I think we are looking at 400 graves to fix." Murphy frequently =
has had to shoo deer from the cemetery, nestled in an overgrown stand of tr=
ees several hundred yards off Hodges Road. The property is hidden from view=
and unknown to many residents of the homes in the neighborhood. Seclusion =
has saved it from vandals and thieves, the fate of many abandoned cemeterie=
s. Residents dump their yard waste onto the grounds, probably unaware that =
it is a cemetery. Even the taller stones are covered with underbrush
and weeds. Most of the remains date from the 19th century, and the graves =
probably went untended once remains were moved to Eldersburg. Most of those=
interred have no ties to Carroll families. "There is a lot of history in t=
hese cemeteries and we, as African-Americans, need to follow up on whatever=
information is available on our ancestors," said Phyllis Black, president =
of the Carroll County chapter of the National Association for the Advanceme=
nt of Colored People. "It is our responsibility to do something. George has=
given us hope that we can do something." Murphy has completed a successful=
two-year effort to restore 200 stones and the grounds of Ellsworth Cemeter=
y in Westminster, once the only graveyard for African-Americans in Carroll =
County. His efforts led to a survey of Ellsworth, refurbished stones and ne=
w marble markers on many graves. Repairing Ellsworth - the final resting pl=
ace of former slaves, veterans of conflicts from the Civil War
through World War II, and many prominent black families who lent their nam=
es to towns throughout Carroll - won community support. Murphy is confident=
that the Laurel restoration will, too. First he must research the ownershi=
p, hoping to find descendants of the last agent of Laurel Cemetery Co. Then=
the Hodges Road property would be surveyed to mark property lines and esta=
blish a perimeter. Fences would be installed to protect the grounds. Severa=
l tall cedars would remain, but volunteers would remove many of the trees a=
nd clear weeds and brush. "Once we remove the trees, we can get to the ston=
es," he said. "We will need a crane to lift some of them." A Boy Scout coul=
d focus on one section, clearing and cleaning and, if possible, righting st=
ones. It would be a good project for an Eagle badge, said Anastastion. "We =
have everybody on board with this and lots of dads helping, and we know it =
won't be finished in a few months," he said. "Although these stones
were transported here, this can be a service to our community." Each monum=
ent could pose a challenge. Some are 16 feet tall and many are more than a =
foot thick. "We would lift the inscription from each one for the public rec=
ord," Murphy said. "Some writings are poetic. On some I can't see a single =
letter, but I know they have to be inscribed." Thick moss obscures some let=
tering. On many, however, one need only brush away leaves and soil to disce=
rn the inscriptions. Many stones bear elaborate sculpture or delicate carvi=
ngs, such as a rose or an open Bible. Several bear the Star of David. A few=
have the remains of granite seats for visitors to rest themselves. Several=
monuments are obelisks, which typically marked a family plot. These tall, =
graceful stones might be inscribed on all four sides. Rough edges indicate =
that the stone marking the grave of Jacob Davis, who died in 1900, has lost=
its top. It will take digging around the gravesite to find it.
"It's here somewhere near the grave," Murphy said. "Most of what they brou=
ght here in 1958 is still here." The family of James E. Fossett, 1864-1937,=
probably expected to bury his wife, Mary B. Fossett, at his side. Her birt=
h year - 1866 - is on the stone, but no date of death is recorded. "I don't=
think Mary is interred here," Murphy said. Murphy is certain that many who=
owned plots at Laurel purchased burial insurance, a common practice years =
ago to guarantee that graves would be maintained in perpetuity. No one has =
kept track of those contracts, however. Murphy hopes his efforts lead to th=
e re-creation of what was once "a magnificent cemetery" and bring honor to =
those reinterred in Carroll 42 years ago. "Laurel should look outstanding,"=
he said. "We can make it better than it looked in 1958." =




--- On Tue, 9/1/09, email@anonym <gen-african-request@r=
ootsweb.com> wrote:


From: email@anonym <email@anonym;
Subject: GEN-AFRICAN Digest, Vol 3, Issue 12
To: email@anonym
Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 2:00 AM




Today's Topics:

0001. Re:0 African American heritage cemeteries (email@anonym)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:36:53 -0400
From: email@anonym
Subject: Re: [GEN-AFRICAN] African American heritage cemeteries
To: email@anonym
Message-ID: <8CBF7EA4561C1A2-202C-4421F@webmail-d080.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charsetD"us-ascii"


There is a black cemetary in Coopers/Bramwell WV.? My great-grandmother and=
other blacks from the area are buried there.? Due to growth of the woods, =
it cannot be accessed but it is definitely up there.? There is also a black=
cemetary called Oak Grove Cemetery.? It?is located in Bluewell, West Virgi=
nia on Lorton Lick Road. Oak Grove Cemetery was established in the early 19=
20's by G.H. Sinkford during the height of segregation and served African-A=
merican families of the region. There are an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 buria=
ls in the 7.2 acre cemetery. The cemetery was discontinued for burials in t=
he late 1970's. Without perpetual care provision in place, the cemetery bec=
ame overgrown following its last major clearing in 1974. The cemetery becam=
e essentially inactive as late as the 1970's, although some burials occurre=
d as recent as 1991.? Hope this info helps,

April


-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Emery <email@anonym;
To: GEN-AFRICAN <email@anonym;
Sent: Sat, Aug 29, 2009 10:23 am
Subject: [GEN-AFRICAN] African American heritage cemeteries




With your help, I can begin my research for a TV story that will air0 =

next year. I would like to collect a list of African American0 =

heritage cemeteries. I don't need specific locations, but rather,0 =

fuzzy locations like the nearest town or city.

I would describe an African American heritage cemetery as one that is0 =

over 50 years old and contains at least one burial of a black person.

Also you can help by telling me of any black freedomtowns in your0 =

neck of the woods. Archivist Michelle M. Mears and Texas Tech0 =

University Press released a book this month called, "And Grace Will0 =

Lead Me Home." Defined as a black-founded community that came into0 =

being after emancipation and is centered on a segregated church or a0 =

school, this book describes some up-teen freedomtowns in Travis Co.0 =

It is my opinion that some of the cemeteries I seek will be found in0 =

the vicinity of freedomtowns.

Thanks for your interest.

--
Michael Emery0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 If I would learn about a p=
eople,
http://memery.home.texas.net0 0 0 0 0 0 000I would first =
visit
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0=
0 0 0 000their graveyards.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0=
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000--
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0=
0 0 0 0 Benjamin Franklin


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