The Rye African-American Cemetery, also known as the African Cemetery in Rye, is a historic 1.4 acre
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
on North Street in
Rye, New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, within the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. It received its charter as a city in 1942, making it the most recent such charter in the state. Its area of ...
. It was established as a burying ground for local African-Americans in 1860 through a donation of land by the Underhill family with the intent that it “shall forever hereafter kept, held and used for the purpose of a cemetery or burial place for the colored inhabitants of the said Town of Rye, and its vicinity free and clear of any charge". At least 35 of the individuals buried there are American veterans including men who served with the
20th United States Colored Infantry Regiment. The last documented burial in the cemetery was in 1964.
The cemetery was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2003. In 2004, it was added to the
African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County
The African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County
in New York (state), New York was created in 2004 to help preserve and interpret the historic landmark places that help tell the narratives of women and men of African descent who have made ...
, a group of 14 sites which include
Stony Hill Cemetery,
Villa Lewaro
Villa Lewaro, also known as the Madam C.J. Walker estate, is a 34-room mansion located at Fargo Lane and North Broadway ( US 9) in Irvington, New York, 30 miles north of New York City. Entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker commissioned architect V ...
and the
Jay Estate
The Jay Estate is a 23-acre park and historic site in Rye, New York, with the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House at its center. It is the keystone of the Boston Post Road Historic District (New York), Boston Post Road Historic District, a National His ...
.
Stewardship
The cemetery is cared for and being restored by the non-profit Friends of the Rye African-American Cemetery together with descendants of those buried there and the local NAACP chapter. The Friends have led the preservation effort since 2010 In 2021, over 40 stones were conserved in a joint effort between the Friends of the Rye African American Cemetery,
World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training ...
,
Jay Heritage Center and
Woodlawn Conservancy. The preservation effort was launched to coincide with the new federal
Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States, federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the End of slavery in the United States, ending of slavery in the United States. The holiday's n ...
celebration.
The Rye African-American Cemetery is located next to the southwest portion of
Greenwood Union Cemetery and is accessed through the front entrance of Greenwood Union. New signage for the burial ground to make it easier to locate and reinforce its identity as a separate entity was installed in 2021 as part of revitalization efforts.
See also
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References
External links
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{{National Register of Historic Places in New York
African-American cemeteries in New York (state)
African-American history of New York (state)
Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York
1860 establishments in New York (state)
Cemeteries in Westchester County, New York
African-American history of Westchester County, New York
Cemeteries established in the 1860s