List Update: Harrisburg’s Civil War Veterans Buried at Lincoln Cemetery An update to the list of Harrisburg’s Black Civil War Veterans buried in Lincoln Cemetery: No. 133: Henry C. Keith “Harry Keath” Private Co. B 8th USCT No. 134: Albert Chamberlain Corporal Co. F 25th USCT For the original list Harrisburg’s Civil … Continue reading →
Expert Claw Maneuvers Rescue Historic Headstones in Black Cemetery In a striking display of nature’s force versus human heritage, daring, and ingenuity at Lincoln Cemetery, just beyond the city limits of Harrisburg, an urgent Black Cemetery headstone rescue operation unfolds. The scene is a delicate balance of tension and intent: four historic … Continue reading →
A Heartfelt Thank You to SOAL Volunteers Dear SOAL Volunteers, Descendants, Friends, Supporters, Neighbors, and the newly Expanded SOAL: SavingOurAncestorsLegacy Family, please let me express my joy, gratitude, and a heartfelt thank you for your support over the last week! In the wake of recent events that threatened the very heart of … Continue reading →
Civil War Veteran: Henry C. Keith in the 8th USCT Civil War veteran Henry C. Keith served in the 8th United States Colored Troops (Pvt. Co. B 8th USCT) which placed him at the heart of some of the Civil War’s most pivotal and harrowing moments. The 8th US Colored Infantry was … Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
Helen Brown’s Unique Wood & Fabric Headstone Helen Brown’s final resting place wasn’t marked in the usual way—there was no obituary, and her life’s accomplishments were not carved in marble or granite but inscribed by a loving hand onto a sheet of fabric affixed to a unique wood & fabric headstone. Her … 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.
WGAL News 8 Live at Harrisburg’s Oldest Black Cemetery At Harrisburg’s oldest Black Cemetery WGAL News 8 Live: Volunteers working with SOAL at Harrisburg’s Lincoln Cemetery will collect geospatial data, photographs and information related to each stone in the cemetery with a mobile app (ArcGIS Field Maps), which will be used to … Continue reading →
Black History is not Lost it’s just Buried | SOAL Hoodie Support the Black Cemetery movement! Support saving your ancestors’ legacy. Support Saving Our Ancestors’ Legacy…And, get your own “Black History is not Lost it’s just Buried” Premium Eco SOAL Hoodie! Manny after the arrival of his hoodie! Showing support for the … Continue reading →
Black Civil War Veterans Organize First G.A.R. Post #520 The G.A.R. was the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization formed by and for veterans of the Civil War, and no one else. The Gustavus V. Catto Post, No. 520, was the first name of the only GAR post formed by and … Continue reading →
Volunteer with SOAL: SavingOurAncestorsLegacy It’s our 3rd year leading Black Cemetery Restoration Weekend Events! Become a volunteer with SOAL: SavingOurAncestorsLegacy , and join us at Harrisburg’s historic Lincoln Cemetery in 2023! Registration information is below, on Eventbrite, or on our Facebook Events page! SOAL: 2023 Black Cemetery Restoration Weekends Start March 17th! … Continue reading →
Harrisburg’s Civil War Veterans Buried at Lincoln Cemetery This list is by no means complete, but I figure if I keep waiting until it is complete, I would never be able to publish it… While compiling this, long-overdue, list of African American Civil War Veterans buried at Lincoln Cemetery, I realized that … 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 →
60 Minutes Investigates Paved-Over Black Cemeteries in Clearwater, Florida… But, They’re Everywhere On Nov 28, 2022, 60 Minutes aired the ongoing investigations and community conversations around the destruction of an entire city’s black cemeteries. As you may know, the practice of paved-over Black Cemeteries by all levels of government across the United … Continue reading →
Rachael & Bhakti visiting their ancestors’ home, and Underground Railroad site, on Yellow Hill in Adams County, before their visit to Lincoln Cemetery in Harrisburg. (Edward Mathews and Francis Gantt purchased 17 acres for their family, a church, and a cemetery in the early 1840s…Only the house, barn, & pond remain visible).
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 →
Radical History Reclamation Demo: Black Family History Needs Light Everyday I learn a little more about all of the things we can’t see without light… This is especially true when it comes to history. Everything that has been shut away in forgotten drawers, missed in dismal attic corners, and especially those things … Continue reading →
Gaming Engine Preserves Black Cemetery How To: Preserve a Black Cemetery with a Gaming Engine In Fall 2022, SOAL will be partnering with Messiah University and Harrisburg University to use photogrammetry to create a 3D storymap of Harrisburg’s Oldest Extant Historically Black Cemetery: Lincoln Cemetery! By combining the use of drones to … 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 →
