National Harmony Memorial Park facts for kids

National Harmony Memorial Park is a special private cemetery located in Landover, Maryland, in the United States. A cemetery is a place where people are buried after they pass away. While people from all backgrounds are buried here, most of the individuals resting at National Harmony are African American.

This cemetery became very important because it received thousands of graves from older cemeteries in Washington, D.C.. For example, in 1960, about 37,000 graves from Columbian Harmony Cemetery were moved here. Later, in 1966, around 2,000 graves from Payne's Cemetery in D.C. were also transferred to National Harmony Memorial Park.

A New Home for Old Graves

In the 1950s, a businessman named Louis H. Bell owned a large piece of land in Landover, Maryland. He wanted to create a new cemetery. At the same time, Columbian Harmony Cemetery in Washington, D.C., was full. This cemetery was started in 1859 for free Black people. It became the main burial place for Black residents in D.C. for many years.

However, by 1950, Columbian Harmony Cemetery had no more space for new burials. It also had money problems because it didn't have enough funds to take care of the grounds forever.

Louis H. Bell saw an opportunity. He wanted to buy the land where Columbian Harmony Cemetery was located to build new homes. So, he offered to move all the graves to his new cemetery in Maryland. He also promised to set aside a special section, about 30 acres, just for the graves from Columbian Harmony. This new section would be called the "Harmony Section." He also agreed to help pay for the cemetery's long-term care.

Moving Thousands of Graves

The process of moving the graves began in May 1960. It was a huge job! About 37,000 graves needed to be moved. Special rules had to be made to allow this to happen. A court even agreed to let them move many graves at once, instead of getting permission for each one.

Workers carefully dug up the remains, placed them in new coffins, and moved them to National Harmony Memorial Park. This massive reburial project finished on November 17, 1960. It was the largest cemetery move ever in Washington, D.C., and it cost a lot of money – about $1 million.

However, it's important to know that while many graves were moved carefully, some were placed in unmarked spots. Also, the agreement to move the graves didn't include moving the original headstones or monuments. This would have made the process much longer and more difficult.

The Story of the Headstones

Sadly, most of the original grave markers from Columbian Harmony Cemetery were not moved with the bodies. Instead, they were sold as scrap material. These old headstones were used to help secure the riverbank of a large property in King George County, Virginia.

Years later, in 2016, a state senator named Richard Stuart bought this property. He discovered the old grave markers there. He realized how important they were and worked to get them back. Now, a group is trying to collect as many of these headstones as possible. They plan to send them to National Harmony Memorial Park. New memorial markers will also be placed in both Maryland and Virginia to remember this history.

More Graves from Payne's Cemetery

In 1966, another 2,000 graves were moved to National Harmony Memorial Park. These came from Payne's Cemetery, another historic cemetery in D.C. Payne's Cemetery was founded in 1851 and was also specifically for African Americans. The city declared Payne's Cemetery abandoned in 1966, and its graves were moved by September 1967.

Who Owns the Cemetery Now?

In 1998, a company called Stewart Enterprises bought National Harmony Memorial Park. They agreed to continue most of the original agreements made when the cemetery was first established. Later, in 2013, another company called Service Corporation International bought Stewart Enterprises. They now own and manage National Harmony Memorial Park.

Famous People Buried Here

Many famous people, both nationally known and locally important, are buried at National Harmony Memorial Park. Some of their remains were moved here from Columbian Harmony Cemetery or Payne's Cemetery. Because of the way the graves were moved, the exact spot where each person is buried is often unknown.

Here are some of the notable people buried at National Harmony Memorial Park who were not originally buried elsewhere:

• Leonard C. Bailey (1825-1918), an inventor and businessman.
• Francine Barker (1947–2005), a singer who was one of the original members of the group Peaches & Herb.
• Alvin Childress (1907–1986), an actor famous for playing Amos Jones on the Amos 'n' Andy TV show.
• Henrietta Vinton Davis (1860–1941), an actress and important civil rights activist.
• Christian Fleetwood (1840–1914), a brave soldier who received the Medal of Honor.
• William Henry Harrison Hart (1857–1934), a lawyer who fought for civil rights.
• Thomas R. Hawkins (1840–1870), another soldier who received the Medal of Honor.
• Paul Jennings (1799-1874), a man who was once a personal servant to President James Madison. After he became free, he wrote a memoir in 1865.
• Henry Lincoln Johnson (1870–1925), a recorder of deeds for Washington, D.C.
• Elizabeth Keckley (1818–1907), a talented seamstress who worked for Mary Todd Lincoln and was also a civil rights activist.
• William J. "Billy" Mitchell (1931–2002), a former singer with the music group The Clovers.
• Henry Vinton Plummer (1844–1905), the first African-American chaplain in the U.S. Army.
• Philip Reid (c. 1820–1892), a skilled worker who helped create the famous Statue of Freedom.
• Alfred Kiger Savoy (1883–1964), an important educator and Assistant Superintendent for Colored Elementary Schools in D.C. from 1932 to 1954.