Mount Carmel Cemetery (Memphis)


Mount Carmel Cemetery is a historical, predominately African American public, rural cemetery located in Memphis, Tennessee.

History

The cemetery was established in 1847 as part of the rural cemetery movement and covers ten acres containing roughly 3,400 documented burials. At the time of construction, Memphis was undergoing a major population boom, with a nearly 400 percent increase between 1840 and 1850. This boom was fueled largely by cotton trade, made possible by the close proximity to the Mississippi River. The cemetery emphasized picturesque, park-like layouts with rolling lawns and abundant trees.
A vast majority of burials in the cemetery are of African Americans. These burials include people born into slavery, slaves, and descendants of slaves and freemen. There are also a number of African Americans who were in Memphis during the Reconstruction buried at the cemetery. These burials represent all walks of Memphis life, enslaved and free people, who were boatmen, carpenters, servants, artisans, construction workers, and intellectuals.
The cemetery has largely been neglected in recent decades, but ongoing restoration and preservation projects are working to save the property.

Notable Burials