Cemeteries offer a physical space to remember relatives and friends … They also hold clues to the past. What happens when this sacred ground falls into disrepair, or worse … is plowed over?

The Laurel Cemetery Memorial Project hopes to recreate a picture of the vibrant nineteenth and early twentieth century Black community in Baltimore. Cultural Anthropologist Elgin Klugh of Coppin State chairs the project:

“We wanted to basically get the word out, we wanted to make sure that individuals had some knowledge of this site, of the significance of the importance of the people buried there, and what they did in their lives in terms of helping to build the Baltimore that we have today.”

Links: Laurel Cemetery Memorial Project, Baltimore Heritage video, Historic African American Cemeteries Preservation Fund and Study.

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