HOUSTON – The Descendants of Olivewood have been tasked with preserving the cemetery and all it’s rich history, but are in need of the community’s help due to the erosion that has damaged the hollow grounds. They are in need of donations and volunteers to keep the 6-acre cemetery and historic resting place for many freed slaves and some of Houston’s earliest black residents going.
In 1875, this land was used for slave burials and became an official cemetery in 1877 for black Methodists. It was the first African American burial ground within the city limits of Houston. Many 19th century influential African-Americans were buried in the cemetery, including Reverend Elias Dibble, first minister of Trinity United Methodist Church; Reverend Wade H. Logan, also a minister of the church; and James Kyle, a blacksmith; as well as Richard Brock.
After decades of neglect and abandonment, the “Descendants of Olivewood,” a nonprofit organization, was established to take guardianship of the cemetery, “to provide care and to protect its historical significance.” In 2010, water and vandals threatened to damage graves in a portion of the cemetery and that still continues to be a big problem for the cemetery. If you would like to help the Descendants of Olivewood protect the significance of the cemetery, click here to find out how.