Fundraising for Zion Christian Cemetery will help continue preservation work
The entrance to Zion Christian Cemetery, the oldest African American cemetery, established in 1876 by freedmen in Memphis Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (Lucy Garrett/Special to the Daily Memphian)
A gravestone in the morning light at Zion Christian Cemetery Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (Lucy Garrett/Special to the Daily Memphian)
A headstone for Frank Woods reads "gone but not forgotten” at Zion Christian Cemetery Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (Lucy Garrett/Special to the Daily Memphian)
Gravestones and sculptural fragments in Zion Christian Cemetery. Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (Lucy Garrett/Special to the Daily Memphian)
A loose headstone for William Brown leaning against a tree in Zion Christian Cemetery Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (Lucy Garrett/Special to the Daily Memphian)
Recently-built houses beyond Zion Christian Cemetery Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (Lucy Garrett/Special to the Daily Memphian)
A remnant of a headstone from the grave of a young child in Zion Christian Cemetery Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (Lucy Garrett/Special to the Daily Memphian)
The road through Zion Christian Cemetery Tuesday, March 16, 2021. (Lucy Garrett/Special to the Daily Memphian)
A plaque by the grave of Thomas Moss, co-owner of the People's Grocery. Moss was murdered in 1892 but his story inspired Ida B. Wells to begin her anti-lynching campaign. (Lucy Garrett/Special to the Daily Memphian)
Long-term plans for the cemetery would make it a tourist stop highlighting the accomplishments of the African Americans who are buried there.
Topics
Zion Christian Cemetery Tyrone Davis June West Zion Community Project People's Grocery Lynching
Linda A. Moore
Linda A. Moore covers education, South Memphis and Whitehaven. A native of South Memphis, Linda has covered news in Memphis and Shelby County for more than 20 years and was formerly a reporter with The Commercial Appeal.