Washington Park Cemetery is a historic African-American cemetery active from 1920 until 1980 and located in Berkeley, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Large-scale disinterment occurred over several decades for various construction projects. As of 2022[update], local cleanup efforts continue due to its long-term state of disrepair.[1]
| Washington Park Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1920 |
| Closed | 1980 |
| Location | 4650 James S. McDonnell Boulevard, Berkeley, Missouri, 63134 |
| Country | United States |
| Find a Grave | Washington Park Cemetery |
History
editWashington Park Cemetery was founded in 1920 by businessmen Andrew Henry Watson and Joseph John Hauer as a for-profit, perpetual-care burial site for African Americans, eventually becoming the largest African-American cemetery in the St. Louis region at the time.[2] Whites opposed the construction of the cemetery[3] and though Watson and Hauer were supportive of segregationist notions regarding land rights, equal interment, and use of public parks, they defended the rights of black visitors to picnic on the grounds. As a result, they were the subject of criticism for, “disrupting bucolic country land with the presence of black St. Louisans.”[2]
Beginning in the latter half of the 21st century, the cemetery was impacted by three construction projects. In the late 1950s, 75 acres were claimed for Interstate 70,[4] which bisected the cemetery's property and paved over graves. In 1972, an expansion to the St. Louis Lambert International Airport claimed nine acres. In 1992, an expansion to St. Louis's light rail system, MetroLink, claimed more land. Across these three projects, an estimated 11,974 to 13,600 bodies were disinterred and relocated, resulting in some families losing track of their ancestral graves.[2]
Restoration
editThe cemetery ceased business operations in the late 1980s.[4] Local activists and media have highlighted the cemetery for its management,[2] disrepair,[2][3][4] and for billboards placed in the cemetery's grounds.[5][6] In August 2020, those billboards were removed from the cemetery after a lawsuit settlement between billboard company, DDI Media, and area resident Wanda Brandon's activist group, the Washington Park Cemetery Anti-Desecration League.[7]
News reports in 2019 stated that the city of Berkeley would be purchasing the cemetery in 2019 for $30.[8] Restoration efforts at the cemetery by various volunteer groups are ongoing, in hopes of turning this into a heritage site.[1] As of December 2022[update], the city's website states that the cemetery remains in private hands.[9] Another news report, in March 2022, stated that the cemetery is in a trust held by St. Louis County because of unpaid taxes.[10]
Other nearby historic African American cemeteries include the Greenwood Cemetery (1874), Father Dickson Cemetery (1903), and Quinette Cemetery (1866).[11]
Notable burials
edit- Miles Dewey Davis Jr. (1898–1962) – dental surgeon and father of jazz musician Miles Davis.[4][12]
- Jessie Housley Holliman (1905–1984) – an educator, muralist, printmaker, and commercial artist.[13]
- Joseph E. Mitchell (1876–1952) and William Mitchell (1896–1945) – brothers who co-founded the St. Louis Argus.[12]
- Charles Hubbard Thompson (1891–1964) – ragtime pianist and composer, known for "Lily Rag."[12]
- George L. Vaughn (1885–1950) – attorney, known for representing J.D. Shelley in the Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer (1948).[3][12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Spire employees clean up Washington Park Cemetery Monday". FOX 2. 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ a b c d e "About the Cemetery: The History of Washington Park Cemetery". Higher Ground: Honoring Washington Park Cemetery, Its People and Place. Washington University Digital Gateway. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Arnold, Willis (March 2, 2017). "'Something has to be done': Telling the story of one of the oldest black cemeteries in St. Louis". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d Colten, Jennifer (June 2017). "Washington Park Cemetery: Then and Now". Places Journal (2017). doi:10.22269/170601. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ Benchaabane, Nassim (Jun 16, 2018). "Billboards tower above headstones in run-down, historic black cemetery. One volunteer says they must go. Others see wider concerns". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ Salter, Jim (April 23, 2019). "Billboards Above African-American Cemetery Prompt Lawsuit". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ Hurwitz, Sophie (August 23, 2020). "Billboards removed from Washington Park Cemetery". The St. Louis American.
- ^ Benchaabane, Nassim (October 9, 2019). "Berkeley to buy long-troubled, historic black cemetery". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "Washington Park Cemetery North". Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ Woodbury, Emily (March 25, 2022). "Washington Park Cemetery volunteers vow to correct historic Black gravesite's neglect". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ Holleman, Joe. "'Still a struggle': Against odds, Father Dickson Cemetery preserves Black history". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
- ^ a b c d Williams, Terri. "Buried Legacies: Selected Notable Individuals Buried at Washington Park Cemetery" (.jpg). Higher Ground: Honoring Washington Park Cemetery, Its People and Place. Washington University Digital Gateway. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- ^ Blumenfeld, Jacob (2021). "Jessie Housley". Missouri Remembers: Artists in Missouri through 1951. doi:10.37764/5776. S2CID 240991196. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
