Consider the stories etched in stone at Woodlawn Cemetery. This is a place of rest for approximately 36000 people. Nearly all were African Americans. Woodlawn Cemetery is a historic space in Washington D.C.’s Benning Ridge neighborhood.
The cemetery’s story began due to a crisis. Graceland Cemetery was near the Federal City. Residential development quickly surrounded it. By the early 1890s, bodies were polluting the water. This created a health hazard. City officials wanted Graceland closed for housing. White citizens decided a new burial ground was needed. It had to be far from development.
Woodlawn Cemetery’s establishment involved five white men. They included Jesse E. Ergood and Charles C. Van Horn. They formed the Woodlawn Cemetery Association in 1895. A 22.5-acre plot near Payne’s Cemetery was purchased. Part of it had been Fort Chaplin during the Civil War. Woodlawn Cemetery officially opened on May 13, 1895.
From 1895 to 1898, almost 6000 remains were moved from Graceland to Woodlawn. These remains went into mass graves. Smaller churchyard cemeteries also closed over the years. They resulted in more mass graves at Woodlawn Cemetery. A final major transfer occurred in 1939 and 1940. About 139 remains were moved. A dozen mass graves exist within Woodlawn.
Woodlawn Cemetery was integrated but segregated. It accepted both white and Black burials. However, white people were buried in a separate section. As desegregation increased, fewer white people chose Woodlawn. Income from burial plots decreased significantly after 1912. The cemetery lacked perpetual care funds and fell into disrepair. The last burial occurred around 1969.
In 1961, Louis H. Bell and his son Richard took over the Woodlawn Cemetery Association. They aimed to restore it. They wanted to highlight its importance to the African American community. They discovered unmarked burials in empty sections. Restoration efforts stalled due to lack of funds.
Lotholders formed the Woodlawn Cemetery Perpetual Care Association in 1972. They sued the Bells and won control. Volunteers worked to restore Woodlawn Cemetery for decades. Progress was slow due to limited funds.
In the early 1970s, the Washington Metro considered buying part of Woodlawn. This was for the Benning Road station. The offer was declined. Woodlawn reopened for burials in 1975. By 1987, it was still in poor condition.
In 2000, Congress gave $300000 to help clean up the cemetery. The WCPCA leased a ground penetrating radar system. They began scanning the cemetery in 2009. The goal was to accurately locate graves.
Volunteers from the U.S. Coast Guard cleaned up Woodlawn in April 2016. In 2018, Delta Sigma Theta and Alpha Kappa Alpha became involved. They aided the WCPCA. These organizations formed the Woodlawn Collaborative Project. This project preserves this sacred burial space. It ensures our ancestors are honored.
Many notable African Americans are buried here at Woodlawn Cemetery. They include Blanche K. Bruce and Will Marion Cook. Also interred here are John Wesley Cromwell and John Mercer Langston. Their legacies live on. Woodlawn stands as a testament to their lives and contributions. It also reminds us of the struggles and triumphs of a community. It faced adversity with resilience and grace.