Washington Park Cemetery

Washington Park Cemetery is a cemetery located in Berkeley, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1920 as an African-American cemetery, the cemetery is no longer commercially active, but has drawn attention for large-scale disinterment in the wake of construction and its long-term state of disrepair.

History

Washington 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.[1] Whites opposed the construction of the cemetery[2] 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.”[1]

Beginning in the latter half of the century, the cemetery was impacted by three construction projects. In the late 1950s, 75 acres were claimed for Interstate 70,[3] 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.[1]

The cemetery ceased business operations in 1980,[3] but has since drawn the attention of activists and media for its management,[1] disrepair,[1][2][3] and for billboards placed in the cemetery's grounds.[4][5]

The city of Berkeley purchased the cemetery in 2019 for $30.[6]

Notable burials
  • Miles Dewey Davis, Jr. (1898–1962) – A successful dental surgeon and father of jazz musician Miles Davis.[3][7]
  • Joseph E. Mitchell (1876–1952) and William Mitchell (1896–1945) – Brothers who co-founded the St. Louis Argus.[7]
  • Charles Hubbard Thompson (1891–1964) – Ragtime pianist and composer, known for "Lily Rag."[7]
  • George L. Vaughn (1885–1950) – Attorney, known for representing J.D. Shelley in the Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kramer (1948).[2][7]
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References
  1. "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.
  2. 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.
  3. Colten, Jennifer (June 2017). "Washington Park Cemetery: Then and Now". Places Journal. doi:10.22269/170601. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  4. 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.
  5. Salter, Jim (April 23, 2019). "Billboards Above African-American Cemetery Prompt Lawsuit". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  6. Benchaabane, Nassim (October 9, 2019). "Berkeley to buy long-troubled, historic black cemetery". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  7. 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.

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