Cemeteries as Sites of Discrimination

Cemeteries as Sites of Discrimination

by Gillian Horn

Before Memorial Park was a recreational site, it was an African American burial ground named “Lincoln Cemetery”. The core history of Lincoln Cemetery echoes that of other African American burial grounds and sites in the United States. These sites include but are not limited to, the North Queen Street Cemetery in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, and the African Burial Ground in New York City. Throughout American history, African American burial grounds have often been sites of discrimination, as seen by divisions of color, poor soil quality, and powerful motives from white members of the community to claim total ownership of these sites.

In the early 18th century, the township of Carlisle, PA was established. When founded, those who discovered the town put aside plots of land to serve as cemeteries for those of the White and African American communities of Carlisle. On the first piece of land was made a site that was an African American Burial ground. This burial ground, later becoming what was known as Lincoln Cemetery, was only 300X100 feet. What made this land different from the other was its poor drainage. After the site ceased to be used as an active cemetery, Carlisle Borough officials had to maintain and monitor this site, although other obligations prevented them from properly caring for and managing the burial ground. This lack of care and preservation was not seen on the other site, however. A burial ground for those of the white community, this site was more spacious and well taken care of far more than Lincoln Cemetery. [1]

Due to the lack of care and the neglect towards the Lincoln Cemetery site, it became a home to littering and disrespect. With the cemetery in the condition it was, some residents eventually petitioned that the cemetery be known as a “public nuisance”[2] . After a ruling in the Carlisle court, the site of Lincoln Cemetery was “turned over to the Carlisle Borough in 1967” [3] . Once it was in the hands of the Carlisle borough, the sacred burial ground was formed into Memorial Park. A playground meant for recreational use occupied much of the park’s space, although one area was set aside for quiet contemplation. [4 ]

The broader history of black cemeteries in the U.S., including Shippensburg’s North Queen Street Cemetery, helps to situate the story of Lincoln Cemetery. Believed to have originated on a rocky piece of ground on the outskirts of town, in the 18th century, the North Queen Street Cemetery became a graveyard for the town’s slaves.[5] This space was constructed by the white population of the town to help the African American community have space where they could remember and mourn; but it was also meant as a space that excluded them from the town’s “white spaces,” a reflection of the social order of the town. As historian Steven B. Burg observed, “For more than one hundred years, the church and cemetery on North Queen Street reflected Shippensburg’s racial order by providing the community’s most obvious and consistent sites of racial separation, part of a complex and fluid set of social boundaries that reflected the peculiar nature of race relations in rural Pennsylvania.” [6] The “Negro Graveyard” as it was referred to, maintained the idea of the community’s racial boundaries.

The search for finding usable burial locations within this time frame was difficult and proved rather challenging. North Queen Street Cemetery had been a land that was farmed several years before it became a cemetery.[7] This made it an undesirable location for whites, but an appropriate site for African Americans as seen in the eyes of the white community members. While this land was seen as one that was not desirable, African Americans utilized and took advantage of the space they were given. Burg writes, “As the Shippensburg African-American community enjoyed increased numbers, autonomy, and economic resources, the white community in Shippensburg began instituting segregation as a means to circumscribe the actions of African Americans and maintain their subordinate position in society.” [8] There is no doubt that the cemetery reflected the social order and status of African Americans in the 18th and 19th century Shippensburg, and this set of conditions resonates with some aspects of the treatment of the Lincoln Cemetery site.

Another example of racial discrimination related to sites of remembrance is the African Burial Ground in New York City. The African Burial Ground was believed to have been used approximately from 1712 to 1795. 6.7 acres in size, it was the burial site for thousands of people. Records show that after the cemetery ceased to be used as an active burial ground, there were no visual representations of the cemetery.[9] At this point of time, the burial ground appears to slowly start to fade from memory. As the 19th century progressed, the burial ground was “Physically eradicated from existence as Manhattan expanded northward.” [11]Consequently, the burial ground became “irrelevant” and was obliterated from visible sight. This sacred space was not demolished in a sense that it was torn down; however, its meaning and historical importance were altered by the power of racial divisions. As historian Andrea E. Frohne writes, “During this process, the once -marginalized bodies were gradually covered by white spaces of the elite government to become what is today is the heart of lower Manhattan.” [12]

When the site was rediscovered in the late 1980s, those in the African American community in NYC were passionate, devoted and determined to create a site of remembrance. However, through the involvement of the government agency General Services Administration, African Americans were excluded from any involvement with the excavation of the site. The GSA was an agency that consisted mostly of white individuals and was given full legal control of the burial ground. Through the GSA’s involvement with the burial ground, all control of the property was diverted from those of the African American Community. This involvement angered, frustrated, and had many of those in the community questioning the government’s intentions and methods of preservation. Tensions grew even higher when several people had heard about the GSA not properly handling the human remains whilst excavating. Bones appeared damaged, beaten up and worn out. Frohne writes that “Deterioration had indeed occurred through mold growth from improper environment control. In particular, some of the 18th-century bones were stored without air condition for many months, and the gymnasium where remains were stored did not have temperature controls”. [13] It had become clear that the GSA was not genuine with their efforts to respect those human remains. African Americans were never formally included in the process of creating this memorial ground and they continued to be unaware of what was going on behind closed doors. It is because of this improper treatment and care that African Americans became motivated to take back control of the site from the GSA. Eventually, through grassroots political activism and the support of national allies, they were able to take charge of the excavation and memorial process. However, it is clear race and status played an important role in the history of this sacred ground.

The history of the North Queen Street Cemetery and the African Burial Ground offer a broader context in which to consider the history of the Lincoln Cemetery site. It is clear that racial boundaries and distinctions played a substantial role in the success and failure of these particular sites. To many, a cemetery is the last place one would think racial discrimination may occur. However for these sites, it was clear that racial discrimination either limited or prohibited the ability for mourning, remembrance, and celebration.

[1] Joseph Cress, “Local Woman Saving Memories through Book,” The Sentinel, October 30, 2011. Accessed via “Lincoln Cemetery (Carlisle)” drop file, Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle, PA 17013.

[2] Bell, Janet L., Lincoln Cemetery: “The Story Down Under” 2011, p. 17-18. Accessed via: C-R-B4332L-997, Cumberland County Historical Society.

[3] Bell, Janet L., Lincoln Cemetery: “The Story Down Under” 2011, p. 17-18. Accessed via: C-R-B4332L-997, Cumberland County Historical Society.

[4] “Cemetery Proposed as Borough Park,” Evening Sentinel, September 10, 1971. Accessed via: “Lincoln Cemetery (Carlisle)” drop file, Cumberland County Historical Society.

[5] Burg, Steven B., “The North Queen Street Cemetery and the African-American Experience in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 77 (2010): 1-36.

[6] Burg, Steven B., “The North Queen Street Cemetery and the African-American Experience in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 77 (2010): 2.

[7] Burg, Steven B., “The North Queen Street Cemetery and the African-American Experience in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 77 (2010): 1-36.

[8] Burg, Steven B., “The North Queen Street Cemetery and the African-American Experience in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 77 (2010): 42.

[9] Frohne, Andrea E., “African Burial Ground in New York City, The: Memory, Spirituality, and Space,” (2015) : 1.

[10] Frohne, Andrea E., “African Burial Ground in New York City, The: Memory, Spirituality, and Space,” (2015) : 1.

[11] Frohne, Andrea E., “African Burial Ground in New York City, The: Memory, Spirituality, and Space,” (2015) : 1.

[12] Frohne, Andrea E., “African Burial Ground in New York City, The: Memory, Spirituality, and Space,” (2015) : 1.

[13] Frohne, Andrea E., “African Burial Ground in New York City, The: Memory, Spirituality, and Space,” (2015) : 185.

Parks

Meta