Washington Park Cemetery

I am dismayed by the lack of respect and attention given to the maintenance of African American cemeteries in St. Louis, MO and all over this country. My maternal 2x great grandfather, Woodson Ellis, is buried in Washington Park in Berkley, MO. The funeral director that took care of his burial in 1939 told me that people that were buried before 1940 were buried under other bodies. This is very disrespectful to the dead and very heartbreaking to their relatives.

Some of the land that Washington Park is built on was bought out by St. Louis International Airport in the late 90s. The bodies on the land were relocated to other cemeteries in St. Louis by their loved ones. Fortunately, through much research and contacting the Airport Authority, I found out that Woodson Ellis is still buried out in Washington Park on the land that was not bought by the airport. I was relieved and wanted to take a visit out there to see his grave. Because the cemetery is overgrown with weeds, grass, trees, and other things, if I go out there I would have to wear long pants, long sleeves, wear boots, spray insecticide, and bring a weed cutter to get through to the graves. Also, some of the graves are cracked and broken. Our deceased loved ones deserve better than this. As an African American community, we need to come together and fix this problem.