GREENWOOD CEMETERY PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION

As a National Register of Historic Places site, Greenwood Cemetery is a unique asset that promotes educational and cultural enrichment. It offers a roadmap to better understand the African-American lifestyle and perspective during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in St. Louis. Notable St. Louisans buried in Greenwood Cemetery include Harriet Robinson Scott, freedom suit plaintiff; Lucy Delaney, author and Masonic founder; Charlton Tandy, attorney and civic leader; Milton Sparks, Blues musician; Grant Green, jazz musician; Sylvester Bryant, Buffalo soldier; 'Stagger' Lee Shelton, folklore figure; William Warcooster Hutt, Civil War soldier and founding member of Lincoln University; and Arsania Williams, Maria L. Harrison, and Mary Ford Pitts, suffragists, educators, and activists in women's rights in the early 1900s. In September 2023, Greenwood Cemetery was designated as a site on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. In 2024, the Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association was honored with the Rosa Parks Award for meritorious service to the community. 

As we continue to restore the once-abandoned cemetery, we are improving green spaces and working to provide a healthier environment for the community. We are removing waste from illegal dumping, which improves the watershed. We are also removing invasive species such as honeysuckle and wintercreeper, and planting native trees and plants in Missouri. These plantings will support local insect and wildlife populations and enrich the landscape with flowering trees and shrubs. We recently completed repairs to the main road, thereby improving safe access for visitors. The new road utilizes recycled tires and features a permeable surface. Our ongoing objective is to advance restoration efforts and to create tranquil spaces for reflection and education about the individuals interred in this sacred location.