When I attended a class at the seminary a few weeks ago, I took time during a lunch break to visit the Freedman’s Cemetery in Dallas.
This cemetery, established in 1861 as a burial place for African Americans, is one of the largest in the country. The memorial was built to celebrate the contributions of African- Americans to the Dallas Culture. Speaking of culture, you can read several moving poems as you walk around the grounds.
The cemetery was abandoned by the 1920’s. Freeway construction in the 30’s and 40’s covered up much of the cemetery. As they were constructing Central Expressway in the 1980’s, they discovered a body. Members of the African-American community successfully halted construction of Central Expressway to do some archeological surveys. They found close to 1,500 graves, which they moved to the memorial. You will see several markers for unmarked graves that they found in the cemetery.
The memorial is free, and well worth your time to visit. One word of caution: you should be aware that when I visited, there was a small homeless camp near the entrance.