Black History: Olivewood Cemetery is resting place for thousands of freed slaves and Houston trailblazers
Black History Month: The History behind Olivewood Cemetery
Among the more than 4,000 people buried at Olivewood are many Houston trailblazers. They include the first ordained Methodist Minister in Texas, David Elias Dibble, and Houston’s first Black alderman, Richard Brock. The last known burials took place in the 1960s.
HOUSTON - It’s the final resting place for hundreds of freed slaves, and some of Houston’s earliest Black residents.
Olivewood Cemetery is located near downtown Houston, just off White Oak Bayou.
"This was a cemetery established by African-American men back in 1875 for just ten dollars a share," says Charles Cook. His great-grandmother Emma Brown is buried in the cemetery.
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Among the more than 4,000 people buried at Olivewood are many Houston trailblazers. They include the first ordained Methodist Minister in Texas, David Elias Dibble, and Houston’s first Black alderman, Richard Brock. The last known burials took place in the 1960s.
"You’re six feet away from history. It’s not just the breath of time," says Jasmine Lee, an Anthropology student at University of Houston.
Lee was so intrigued by the cemetery’s rich history, she decided to do her own research and now gives tours to visitors.
"This is more than just a book or a building. These are the physical remains of people that made so much history. Losing that is part of losing a connection."
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The seven-acre property looks much different than it did just a few years ago. For more than 20 years, the cemetery had been neglected.
"It had been overgrown for several decades. That lets you know how bad it was. Nothing was visible. It was no fence around it," Cook says.
That’s why Charles Cook co-founded the non-profit, "Descendants of Olivewood" in 2008. The group now organizes regular clean-up events. They’ve also put up a fence around the property. In 2021, they also received a $50,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. That money will help fix flooding and erosion issues around the cemetery.
"We’re also now re-gridding the cemetery. So we’ll know where every monument is. We’re also applying now for a grant to fix some of the monuments," says Cook.
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He says it’s the least he can do to honor his ancestors by keeping their headstones clear, and their stories alive.