Devastating Loss and Potential Threat Harrisburg, PA – In a distressing development at Harrisburg’s Historic Lincoln Cemetery, Dauphin County’s oldest surviving Black Cemetery, SavingOurAncestorsLegacy (SOAL) is sounding the alarm over the potential threat following recent damages that resulted in a devastating loss. This week, the cemetery lost at least two trees on … Continue reading →
SOAL Partners: Black Cemetery Historic Preservation with ArcGIS The historic Lincoln Cemetery in Harrisburg, PA, is not just a cemetery; it’s a testament to African American heritage, harboring the stories and legacies of many prominent individuals. Historically, African American burial sites in the United States, including Harrisburg’s oldest historic Black cemetery, have … Continue reading →
Legacy Reborn: Harrisburg Lincoln Cemetery at 146 Years Today marks the 146th anniversary of Harrisburg Lincoln Cemetery, a site of profound historical and cultural significance for our community (regardless of how far we are from the grounds today). Consecrated on November 18, 1877, this sacred ground has been a resting place for … Continue reading →
SOAL to Create Black Cemetery Historic Preservation Plan SOAL: SavingOurAncestorsLegacy is thrilled to announce the creation of the first comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan for the future of Lincoln Cemetery. Historic preservation planning is an often-overlooked step in historic Black Cemetery conservation and maintenance. In this groundbreaking initiative SOAL teams up with industry … Continue reading →
Thank you Preservation Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds!
By participating in this project, we become [Legit/On The Books] radical history reclamation role models for future preservation endeavors across the country. Together, we have the power to inspire and create a lasting impact on the preservation of our cultural heritage.
Transcribing Lincoln Cemetery: Kindred Spirits & SOAL Collaboration We’re transcribing Lincoln Cemetery! In a collaborative effort to preserve African American history in south central Pennsylvania, SOAL: SavingOurAncestorsLegacy has partnered with Kindred Spirits Genealogy Workshop Group (GWG) to transcribe the burial record cards of Lincoln Cemetery. This collaboration aims to digitize and make … Continue reading →
Trustees Hold A Meeting They Hope For New Free Black Cemetery Creation In September of 1892, the Star-Independent published the occurrence of what may have been the last meeting of the Harris Free Cemetery Trustees. The Harris Free Cemetery Trustees held this meeting in order to agree on a place to buy … Continue reading →
instead of finding hope they found human remains & Dug-Up Graves June 24, 20211: Rachael Keri Williams and Bhakti Williams-Brown traveled to South-Central Pennsylvania in search of their roots and to reclaim their heritage. Instead of find their ancestors, instead of finding hope they found human remains in Harrisburg’s Lincoln Cemetery. Lincoln … Continue reading →
In 1907 R. H. Haywood was walking behind the “Old Negro Cemetery” in Harrisburg when he found a trunk lying in small creek. The Star-Independent Sep 2, 1907.
Continue reading →Driven on the Bypass? Arsenal Blvd? N. 17th St.?
Are you driving on Black Bodies buried below the pavement, under the PennDOT building and parking lot?
Still Jumping Historic Hurdles Saving Central PA Black Cemeteries In October of 2021, the year SOAL began work at Lincoln Cemetery in Harrisburg, I had a chance to speak with Gabriela Martínez, of WITF –NPR Central Pennsylvania about how and why I started caring so deeply about Central Pa Black Cemeteries Gabriela … Continue reading →
In Spring 2022 Rachael Keri Williams, founder of Saving Our Ancestors’ Legacy, was featured on Comcast Keystone Newsmakers about SOAL’s work restoring Harrisburg’s Lincoln Cemetery.
Continue reading →Lincoln Cemetery: Jim Crow’s Graveyard, Harrisburg’s Black Cemeteries & How There’s Only One Left It is time to tell the true history of Harrisburg’s Black Cemeteries. Lincoln Cemetery is Harrisburg’s oldest Black cemetery, but it was not founded in 1816, 1817, or 1827, as written iron on the cemetery’s front gates…The grounds … Continue reading →
Lincoln Cemetery Burial Records An example of two types of Harrisburg Lincoln Cemetery Burial Records that were digitized by SOAL: SavingOurAncestorsLegacy volunteers in 2021. Some of the other types include handwritten notebooks, family plot maps, record of payment, account ledgers, burial records compiled from funeral homes, and handwritten records of headstone inscriptions, … Continue reading →
The state of neglect and decay found when visiting Harrisburg’s Lincoln Cemetery was a shocking discovery for 2 visitors from Buffalo, NY. They found dug up human remains in one of Pennsylvania’s oldest Black Cemeteries. New York local stumbles upon a shocking discovery in a Dauphin County cemetery Learn More about what … Continue reading →
