McLemore Cemetery
Encyclopedia
McLemore Cemetery is a cemetery
in Meridian, Mississippi
. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on December 18, 1979, and is the oldest surviving historic site in the city.
Church he had built at 6th St and 16th Ave, just outside of East End Historic District. McLemore is now buried in the cemetery, along with fatalities of the 1871 race riot
and the 1878 Yellow Fever
epidemic. Masonic Lodge members reportedly helped treat victims of the outbreak, which explains the numerous Masons now buried in the cemetery.
The cemetery contains around 100 gravesites, the earliest from the 1830s and the most recent from 1942. Since then, the cemetery has been in a state of degradation with overgrown grass and weeds and crumbling headstones. In 1971 Carol James, head of genealogy
research at Meridian Public Library, conducted a census of the identifiable gravesites in the cemetery, totalling 96. The census can now be viewed in the library. James reported about the cemetery's lack of upkeep, stating that vandalism
of headstones had been a problem. By 2006 many headstones were in such bad condition that the names were no longer distinguishable. Others had been covered by weeds and other growth, or had moved significantly from their original locations.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 18, 1979, and is the oldest surviving historic site in the city.
History
Richard McLemore, founder of the cemetery, was the first permanent settler of Meridian in the 1830s. In 1839, McLemore established the cemetery behind a BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church he had built at 6th St and 16th Ave, just outside of East End Historic District. McLemore is now buried in the cemetery, along with fatalities of the 1871 race riot
Meridian race riot of 1871
The Meridian race riot of 1871, also called the Meridian Riot, was a race riot in Meridian, Mississippi in March 1871. It followed the arrest of freedmen accused of inciting riot in a downtown fire, and blacks' organizing for self-defense...
and the 1878 Yellow Fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
epidemic. Masonic Lodge members reportedly helped treat victims of the outbreak, which explains the numerous Masons now buried in the cemetery.
The cemetery contains around 100 gravesites, the earliest from the 1830s and the most recent from 1942. Since then, the cemetery has been in a state of degradation with overgrown grass and weeds and crumbling headstones. In 1971 Carol James, head of genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
research at Meridian Public Library, conducted a census of the identifiable gravesites in the cemetery, totalling 96. The census can now be viewed in the library. James reported about the cemetery's lack of upkeep, stating that vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
of headstones had been a problem. By 2006 many headstones were in such bad condition that the names were no longer distinguishable. Others had been covered by weeds and other growth, or had moved significantly from their original locations.