A Historic Resting Place

This morning before a scheduled class at the gym Hubby Tony and left the house to take advantage of a cheap drink promotion at a local gas station chain. Although it was cloudy, the temperature was lovely. After getting out drinks we decided to take a walk before heading to the gym. 

The gas station we had chosen is close to a paved rail-to-trail path. Tony suggested a route that would take us to one of its trailheads, where we could hop on the trail to circle back. Along the way we wandered up and down several small streets. Shortly before we got to the trailhead we came up on the front entrance of the Father Dickson Cemetery.

Wikipedia

I am more familiar with the back of the cemetery, which is visible from the trail, but I've never taken the time to stop and explore the area. Both Tony and I thought today would be a good day for exploring and we turned through the gates.

The first thing I saw was a large obelisk dedicated to Moses Dickson (the cemetery's namesake), who was a member of the Underground Railroad and a community leader during the Civil War era.

Thanks to the educational signs that lined the road I learned that this was one of the first public cemeteries available to Black people in the St. Louis area, and several notable people are buried on the grounds. When the cemetery closed in the 1970s there was no endowment to maintain the area. It fell into neglect until a group was established in the 1980s to preserve the site. In 2021, the cemetery was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

At the edge of the cemetery there was a small path that led to the trail, where I saw a information about a walking tour brochure. We didn't have time for that today, but I put the activity on my mental list of things to do.