Landscape

African-American cemeteries often exhibit distinct patterns from those found in European-American cemeteries. In mid-nineteenth century America, churches and private cemetery corporations began landscaping and designing burial grounds to resemble parks. These manicured landscapes remain popular today. This leads to a misconception that an overgrown cemetery that is not mowed, planted with grass, or enclosed by a formal fence is “abandoned.” In many cases, these “informal” burial grounds may represent deliberate articulations of a unique cultural identity and a particular philosophy toward death and burial. Many of the African-American cemetery landscapes in this project are characterized by profuse plantings (including yucca plants, tree-of-heaven, daffodils, periwinkle, cedar trees, and clusters of perennials). While none of these species is a unique attribute by itself, taken together the overall impression in many African-American cemeteries is a greater focus on the natural landscape, rather than sterile, pruned lawns.