Lincoln Memorial Cemetery (Suitland, Maryland) facts for kids

Lincoln Memorial Cemetery is a special, privately owned cemetery in Suitland, Maryland. It was created in 1927 and is a very important historical site. This cemetery was one of the few places where African Americans could be buried during a time when cemeteries were separated by race.

It is the final resting place for many famous African Americans. These include Walter Washington, who was the first elected Mayor of Washington, D.C., and Charles Richard Drew, a medical pioneer. Also buried here are Charles Hamilton Houston, a civil rights lawyer, and Carter Godwin Woodson, who founded Black History Month.

History of Lincoln Memorial Cemetery

Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland

Lincoln Memorial Cemetery was started in 1927 by James Easley Edmunds. He was from Lynchburg, Virginia. At that time, cemeteries were segregated, meaning Black and white people were buried in different places. There were not many options for Black residents in the Washington, D.C. area. So, this cemetery became a very important place.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Lincoln Memorial Cemetery was one of only two cemeteries for Black people in the entire area. The beautiful grounds were designed by a landscape architect named John H. Small.

One of the most notable features in the cemetery is the Bishop W. McCollough mausoleum. A mausoleum is a building where people are buried. Inside, there is a statue of Bishop McCollough sitting down. This statue was created by artist Ed Dwight in 1991.

Famous People Buried Here

Many important and inspiring people are buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. Here are some of them:

• Len Bias – A talented college basketball star from Maryland.
• Gail Cobb – She was a pioneering female police officer in the United States.
• Charles Richard Drew – A medical doctor who made huge advancements in blood transfusions. His work saved many lives.
• Edward "Len" Ford – A legendary football player who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Sarah Loguen Fraser – One of the first African-American female doctors in the United States.
• Ida Gibbs – She helped start the Pan-Africanism movement, which connects people of African descent worldwide.
• Charlotte Wesley Holloman – A gifted opera singer.
• Charles Hamilton Houston – A very important Civil Rights lawyer. He was known for fighting against unfair segregation laws.
• William Henry Hunt – A diplomat who represented the United States in other countries.
• Ernest Everett Just – A brilliant scientist who studied how living things develop.
• Sam Lacy – A respected sports journalist.
• Harriet Gibbs Marshall – A talented pianist, writer, and music educator.
• Van McCoy – A Grammy-award winning R&B singer, famous for his hit song "The Hustle."
• Kelly Miller – A smart mathematician, writer, and newspaper columnist.
• Max Robinson – The first African-American person to be a broadcast network news anchor in the United States.
• Herbert Clay Scurlock – A medical researcher who contributed to science.
• Lucy Diggs Slowe – The first Black woman to be a Dean of Women at any American university. She also helped found the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
• Joseph A. Walker – A Tony-award winning playwright and educator.
• Walter Washington – The first elected Mayor of the District of Columbia.
• Charles H. Wesley – A respected historian.
• Carter Godwin Woodson – A historian often called "The Father of African American History" because he started Black History Month.