St Louis, Washington Park Cemetery
If you have spent any time in researching your African
American ancestors’ burial site, you have probably come across a highway, road
or runway running through what should have been the plot site of your
ancestor. African American burial sites
were not usually part of the city planning, so as city expansions took place
across America, this valuable land was “commandeered” for city development
projects. So where were the deceased reinterred?
St. Louis, Washington
Park Cemetery
(North Reinterment
Index)
Historically the largest African American cemetery in the
St. Louis area was the Washington Park Cemetery located in the City of
Berkeley, Mo., in 1920. As accustomed, this area was unincorporated.
In 1966, according to the history of Washington Park, “the city of St. Louis acquired part of
Washington Park Cemetery for purposes of ‘aviation obstruction removals and
land use compatibility’ relating to Lambert Airport’s Runway…”
This Cemetery Project included the disinterment and reinterment of “the human remains buried in the affected
area” to include 15 cemeteries in St. Louis County and 4 in St. Louis, in
addition to others. Although researchers of other displaced African American cemeteries
may not be so lucky, Washington Park Cemetery researchers are provided the
names of the 11,976 disinterred as they were reported to the St. Louis County
Recorder of Deeds and the St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds. The Index
of the Washington Park Cemetery Reinterment is online.
What to Expect
The online index provides the name of the deceased and his
original gravesite location and the name of cemetery and location where
reinterred. Researchers will also note the “Status of Deceased” is marked as M
(for moved) and the date moved is given. If paired with the online Missouri
State Archives Death Certificates (1910-1960), you may solve the
mystery of end of life and burial events of your ancestors.
For More Information
This information was abstracted from the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds and
Vital Records Registrar website.
Kathleen Brandt
a3Genealogy.com
Accurate, accessible answers
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Hey, It was a scene that has been rehashed in a few American urban areas. In 2003, amid a base venture, 13 caskets containing unidentified human remains were found in Portsmouth, NH. Eight of the remaining parts were uncovered for examination and affirmed as being of African drop, and later as a component of a 1705 African Burying Ground, once on the city's edges. As Portsmouth extended, burying ground was constructed over and generally overlooked. Five extra sets of remains were found in 2008 amid an archaeological burrow on the site. Specialists accept that 200 or more internment could have occurred in this 1705 African Burying Ground.Thanks all!!
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