By Cody Hefner
Marketing & Communications
Cincinnati Museum Center
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Springfield Township are looking for volunteers to help restore a historic cemetery. Beech Grove Cemetery was founded in 1889 as a rural cemetery for African Americans and is the resting place for over 3,000 people, including more than 500 veterans, some from as early as World War I.
Over its more than 130 years, however, the cemetery has suffered abandonment and disrepair until Springfield Township took possession in 2017. Now, the Freedom Center is joining the effort to restore the cemetery, recognize prominent individuals buried there and include learning opportunities around significant events related to those resting at Beech Grove.
Volunteers will join the Freedom Center and Springfield Township on Saturday, Aug. 12 from 9 a.m. to noon to begin the cleanup and restoration of Beech Grove Cemetery, 436 Fleming Road, Springfield Township, OH 45231.
Freedom Center staff are currently working to research individuals buried at Beech Grove Cemetery and hopes to understand why such a significant number of military veterans are buried there. The Freedom Center also hopes to secure a historical marker for the cemetery that continues to play an important role in our region’s history, particularly regarding Black voices.
Volunteers interested in helping with the Beech Grove Cemetery cleanup and restoration can meet at Beech Grove Cemetery at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12.