Beechwood Cemetery (Durham, North Carolina) Explained

Beechwood Cemetery
Established:	1924
Country:	United States
Location:	3300 Fayetteville Street Durham, North Carolina
Coordinates:	35.9592°N -78.9123°W
Owner:	City of Durham
Graves:	>9,000
Website:	Official website
Findagraveid:	46830

Beechwood Cemetery is a city-owned cemetery in Durham, North Carolina, established in 1924 or 1926. Maplewood, the city's other public cemetery was historically white while Beechwood is historically black stemming from the city's segregation at their inception.^[1] It is the burial location of key Black figures in Durham's history.^{[2] [3]}

The five cemeteries, which Beechwood replaced when the city purchased 25 acres from R.L. McDougald, were mostly full and undermaintained.^[4]

An expansion was proposed in 2023 as the cemetery neared capacity.^[5]

See also

• African American cemeteries in North Carolina

External links

• General Services – Cemeteries Division from the City of Durham, NC website

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2022-10-05 . Beechwood Cemetery -- a historic public cemetery in Durham -- is quickly running out of space . 2024-10-02 . ABC11 Raleigh-Durham . en.
2. Web site: 2023-04-16 . 'Unaware of our beginnings": Preservation Durham plans tour of historic Beechwood Cemetery . 2024-10-02 . ABC11 Raleigh-Durham . en.
3. Web site: WRAL . 2023-04-07 . With just 15 plots left, historic Durham cemetery gets cash to expand . 2024-10-02 . WRAL.com . en.
4. Book: Anderson, Jean Bradley . Durham County: A History of Durham County, North Carolina . 2011-05-09 . Duke University Press . 978-0-8223-4983-9 . 518 . en.
5. Web site: WRAL . 2023-09-25 . Durham cemetery at capacity to get $700K expansion; city looking at hybrid burial grounds . 2024-10-02 . WRAL.com . en.