Service honors woman who restored White Rock Cemetery

From staff reports
Published: May 30, 2008

The Jackson Street United Methodist Church will hold a service June 7 to honor Laura Munson for spearheading the restoration of the historic White Rock Cemetery, an African American cemetery established in 1885.

The service is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. at the church at 901 Jackson St.

Munson devoted the past 10 years of her life to restoring cemeterywith its more than 4,000 graves. It was the city’s first independent African American cemetery, created on land purchased by Jackson Street in 1885. The first burial took place in 1889, and for 100 years it was used by the Jackson Street, Diamond Hill and White Rock Baptist churches. 

In the 1970s, the 7-acre cemetery fell into a state of neglect, transforming the idyllic spot into a tangle of weeds, trees and trash.

“The cemetery was just about a wilderness,” said W.E. Clark II, a cemetery board member. “The elderly people had passed and the young people today didn’t know very much about the cemetery.

“She (Munson) started out single-handedly to actually restore it and bring it back to a nice place.  . . . This means a lot to the community.”

With a team of volunteers, Munson led the efforts to clear the grounds and identify the graves.

“Today, because of Laura Munson’s ‘spiritual calling,’ participatory leadership and commitment, as well as the contributions of the community – funds, service, and talents – White Rock Cemetery has been restored,” a statement from Jackson Street UMC says.

Long-term plans include installing fencing and building a visitor’s center.

—For questions, call Geraldine Clark at (434) 846-8698. For information about White Rock Cemetery, visit http://www.historicwrc.org.